Cinderfella
by Paopu Pop
Summary: AU When Sora's parents are killed in an accident, Sora's new home isn't as grand as it's carpeted halls. When he finds himself costumed as a girl at a party and runs into Riku, the real story begins. RxS CxL This is not a Cinderella parody! COMPLETE.
1. The Prelude

_**Sometime mid-January, 2012**_

**A/N: Welcome to **_**Cinderfella**_**. As you can see from the publish date, this fanfic is considerably outdated. That being said, this isn't the **_**worst **_**I've written (you can find worse on my author profile, haha,) but this needed an edit and to be finished.**

**For starters, I yanked all of the in-text author notes. They're still listed at the end of chapter if significant, but **_**oh god **_**I can't believe I ever did that… (puke)**

**That being said, there's some grammatical corrections, but not much content was changed. I won't talk much about the content due to spoilers until it has already been revealed. I'm trying to hold back on author notes in my new works, but I feel that some of this warrants some explanation (maybe to make myself feel better). Totally skippable notes if you want to go right to content.**

**The first two chapters have received considerable corrections, but because filling in many of the loopholes requires a total make over, I've settled for mostly grammatical changes. So the first two chapters are almost wiped clean—the ones following are just clean up. Otherwise this would take me **_**forever!**_

**THOUGH I MUST MENTION NOW—Please do **_**not **_**let the first part turn you off to reading. Part of the beginning involves some Japanese dialogue, but it's a passing thing and this fic will **_**not **_**be littered with out-of-place honorifics and Japanese expressions. (Just… read, you'll understand.)**

**Alright, off to chapter one with you!**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 1 – The Prelude_

Everything changed since that night. His home, his family, his _world._

A six-year-old boy was curled in a ball in his new bed. His sobs and snuffles went unheard, muted by the sheets so _he _wouldn't pop his head in. Why had this happened to him? It wasn't fair.

Why wouldn't Mom and Dad come and save him?

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prelude**_

* * *

_Two weeks before, in Japan..._

"Now, Sora, remember, we'll be back when you're asleep. And you'll _be _asleep," a woman laughed. Sora giggled and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her son had a habit of being wide-awake when he should have been in bed hours prior. "So no sugar for you, or you won't _ever _get tired!"

"Yes, Mommy." He giggled again. The man next to the woman chuckled at their son's antics. "I will be asleep! I'll go to bed right now!" As he turned and began to sprint for the bedroom, he was lifted into the air by the same man that had laughed at him moments before.

"It's only 6 o'clock, silly boy," his father said. He swung Sora in the air in circles, and the boy squealed in delight. He was then handed to his mother who, in her gentler nature, balanced him properly in her grip.

"We'll see you in the morning." She planted a kiss directly on the boy's forehead. Sora gave her a sweet smile, appreciating the gesture. He was set back down on the floor, and both parents were on their way out for their date. "Bye!"

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad!" Sora waved furiously with his hand to send his farewell.

"Bye! I'll make sure he's in bed by eight!" Emi, Sora's babysitter for the night, stood next to him. Sora continued to wave until the door slid shut, and Emi looked down at the boy. "Wanna go watch the television? We can play your favorite movie if you would like."

"Sure!" He followed the girl in pursuit, parents forgotten for the moment.

Emi looked over at the lump of blankets on the floor. He had fallen asleep earlier in the evening, so she had settled for watching game shows. But has she had started to just fall asleep, the phone's loud ring brought her back to reality.

"Ozawa residence, this is Emi." There was a silence, which was broken by Sora's squeaking under the covers and his messy head peeking from underneath. "That's terrible," she spoke quietly. "Yes, their son is here... no, he's the only one. Okay... I'll tell him that. Thank you." Her face was solemn as she hung up the phone.

"Sora?" She looked over at him, thinking he was asleep. But he was already awake, his stare already on her face. Even he could tell something was wrong, young as he was.

"What's wrong, Emi-chan? You look so sad..."

"Sora..." Emi could hardly bear to tell the boy the news, and the only thing she could think of was to hug the boy.

"You only give me hugs when you leave! Does this mean you're leaving? But Mommy and Daddy aren't back yet, silly!" He heard her choke sobs. "Emi-chan?"

"They... aren't coming back ever, Sora. I'm sorry."

"What do you mean? They said they'd be back when I woke up, tomorrow! Aww... don't cry..."

"S-sora... your parents... they're dead." Her voice fell to what was barely recognized as a whisper.

"Dead? They... what?" Dead? He heard that word before but didn't understand its meaning. "But if they're not coming back tonight, won't they come back tomorrow?"

"I'm so sorry, Sora," was all she could say. How to make him understand? And when Emi started to cry, Sora cried. But he cried because she was sad. He had yet to understand that they weren't coming back. Not that night, not the next day, or the day after that.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - The Prelude**_

* * *

Emi decided to take Sora down where his parents' ashes rested before leaving Japan for his new home. It was her last attempt to make him understand, but at a child his age, it was doubtful if he would even understand what he was looking at.

He looked at the grave inquisitively, running his finger tips over the engraved characters on the tombstone. Although he did not know _how _to write these, he'd begun to recognize them.

Emi crouched next to Sora, pointing at the first line. "This is your father's name," and her finger drew across the next name. "And this is your mother's. They're both resting here now. I brought you to say goodbye."

Sora turned to look at Emi, bewildered. "So they're sleeping underground?"

Her eyes turn downcast to the ground. She gave up trying to explain. "Yes, Sora. They've gone to sleep now, but they can no longer wake up."

"Why can't they wake up?" But Emi just embraced Sora, trying to hold back her tears. "Emi-chan?"

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prelude**_

* * *

Sora was so unfamiliar to the surroundings about him. The signs were all wrong and the scenery was completely different. He was scared and therefore almost completely silent.

When the car stopped, the man in the car spun around. His bangs hung in his eyes as he spoke to Sora in Sora's native language. "This is your new home, Sora." The man departed from the car, and he opened Sora's door and guided him out. Sora clutched the backpack in his hands.

The house was huge at a full two floors—it was much larger than Sora's previous apartment. It towered over any other house in the suburban area; the houses on both sides appeared shrunken in comparison.

Sora's eyes explored the grandiose entranceway as he was gently pushed towards the door by the hand on his back. The man rung the doorbell, which could be heard from outside. A minute or two passed before a man answered the door. He looked very strange to Sora with his silver hair and tan skin. He wore a business suit, as he had returned from work shortly before Sora's arrival. "Good day, Mr. Strife. I came with Sora here…" The man bent down and pulled Sora around, who'd been hiding behind a leg. "Say hello to your new father."

"You don't have to be so formal with me, Yuki. Call me Ansem." His smile was firm and tight-lipped as he stared down at the nervous child. "Come on in, you must be tired from the long trip." Sora nodded silently and practically stumbled into the house. Yuki went back to the car to retrieve the remainder of the belongings as Sora was introduced to his new home.

Sora gasped loudly when he saw the inside. It was even better than the outside: every window was adorned with silk curtains, the carpeting was perfectly cleaned and soft, the furniture was unique with weaved patterns and remarkable designs, and of course, every statue, decoration, lamp, and doorway was beautifully crafted, giving Sora an overwhelming feeling of fantasy. _This _was where he was going to live? Were there butlers and maids too? Would he live a life of ease and fun? And this was only the first room of the home. It was almost as big as the whole apartment in Japan.

"From now on, you may call me Dad." Snapped out of his daydream, the boy looked up and nodded silently. "This is where you will stay from this day forward, starting with the living room. You are not to go in here and play. This is where I will have guests over as well, so do not make _any _messes." His point was well taken.

Sora was guided through a hall before they reached a room about twice the size of the previous. A table stretched down the room, and the wooden floors were perfectly shined. "This is the dining room. This is where we eat dinner." He turned his head to Yuki walked in with arms full of bags and a pillow.

"Where should I put his things?" he asked, lightly panting.

"Set them by the stairway, we will take care of them later." The redhead nodded, and walked away to put them where appropriate. When he returned, Ansem shook his hand. "Thank you so much. Have a safe trip back."

"Thank you for your kindness," Yuki took a step back and honored Ansem with a bow. He then bent to one knee and ruffled Sora's hair. "See ya."

"Bye Kimura-san!" The door opened and once more closed as Yuki Kimura left. He did not notice his guardian wince at this, and glanced back down at his new son.

"Shall we finish the rest of the tour?"

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prelude**_

* * *

When they finally reached the upstairs, they passed a room, where loud rock music could be heard. Ansem tapped on the door, and after the music turned down a boy answered the door, trying to tame his messy blonde hair with a hand. "Yeah?"

"Cloud, this is your half-brother, Sora." They both looked at each other in surprise. Brothers? That would explain their stunning resemblance... "And Sora, this is Cloud. He's eight. And you're... five, right?"

"Six," Sora corrected.

"Off by a year or less." He seemed to chuckle, but it was noticeably strained. "You two will also be living under the same roof, so I expect both of you to behave together." They nodded in obedience, their silent quality another common feature. As both walked away from the room Cloud closed his door, and the music reached a louder volume again.

They finally reached Sora's room. It was considerably smaller than Cloud's room had been, and most of the furniture was not as high-scale. However, there were still curtains on the wall and with a flick of a switch, the room became well-lit. Sora blinked as Ansem dropped his bags at the entrance.

"And this, boy, is your room." Sora could sense the switch in Ansem's personality by the change in his tone. "Unfortunately, I had to change the guest room into your new bedroom, so do not ruin it. You'll receive instructions tomorrow about expectations while you live under my roof. For the night, I ask you behave and unpack your things." And he was gone like that, leaving Sora to put away his own things. But he was well-practiced in putting things away thanks to the lessons from his mom and dad.

The first bag he opened was full of clothing, and he unzipped the next one to reveal another bag stuffed with outfits. The plain dresser that sat in the corner of the room seemed to stare at him with resentment. It's revenge for Sora's invasion was dealt when Sora pricked his finger on the wood. He yelped in surprised, and when he assessed that no horrific damage was done, he set out to put his clothing in its proper place.

The shoes sat on the bottom of the second bag, obviously not belonging in his dresser with the rest of the clothes. At the apartment all shoes were set next to the door, but here he assumed that all his things belonged in his room. He placed a pair of sandals and a pair of sneakers next to the dresser, not ever having used a closet before. The next bag was full of toys, which were put in the closet space. There was no toy box in this room, so the strange tiny room could pose as one.

The last bag was full of the memories of the home he left behind in Japan. Pictures, miniature figures, other random trinkets... He set them in the small bedstand, leaving nothing by the lamp on top except for an alarm clock and a family photo.

Although this room was decent (and much larger than the bedroom he'd had in Japan), it just didn't feel like home. Mostly because his parents weren't there. Where were they? Why was he here, without them?

He crawled into the bed to take a nap, exhausted from his work. But he didn't want sleep. He just wanted Mommy and Daddy…

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prelude**_

* * *

_Nine years later..._

"Sora!" The shout shook him from his dream, and his body shot forth in a violent motion of wake. "Geez... it's just me." His breaths were shuddered, but they began to calm to as he looked at the intruder in the window.

"Sorry, Kairi, that was just loud and it woke me up. It was..._too _loud in fact." He looked at the one known as Kairi with an intense amount of irritation. "A little louder could have attracted my dad'sattention, which is the last thing you want."

"Right, right. No worries, he's still at work. It's only four o' clock, ya know."

"FOUR?" He looked at the clock, which only read three thirty-nine. He'd only sleep for ten minutes at most... "Kairi!"

She giggled at him sweetly. When she laughed like that, he couldn't stay mad at her. "Ah... I just wanted to see your reaction. Why do you get so worried?"

"Well... I just don't want to get my head bitten off. He has a temper."

"That's obvious."

"And I gotta start supper soon..." He fell back against the bed, yawning. "But I'm so exhausted..."

"After all the homework they've been giving us, you _should _be tired!" She crossed her arms. "You know, I think those teachers are trying to kill us..."

"You could be right," he agreed. "Especially with projects. I hate projects. They're stupid." He rolled over to lie on his stomach and felt himself begin to fall into sleep once more.

A "Well... way to be Captain _Duh," _snapped him from his half-conscious state.

"Muh..."

"Maybe you had better get up so you don't fall asleep again..." His best friend said, poking him in the side. "I'm just gonna go back to my house, 'kay? I'll see you in school tomorrow! Bye Sora!" She climbed out the window and began to disembark, feet landing perfectly on edge ledge of the wall. She'd done this dozens of times before.

"See ya, Kairi," he mumbled, rising from the bed in response to her advice. He rubbed his eyes before walking downstairs and making his way into the large kitchen.

Tonight his dad would have to settle for something easy. He was exhausted from the load of schoolwork and housework to function completely well. Sora did all of the chores by himself, and although he made it _look _like he did it totally voluntarily, he was sworn to never tell that it was his condition for living under his roof. Even his brother Cloud didn't know he was actually _made _to do chores.

After setting water and fresh vegetables on the stove to boil, he began to patiently wait for them to steam and bubble. He laid his arms on the counter to cradle his head, knowing it'd be a few good minutes before anything would happen.

Still ready to go back to sleep, he slipped his eyes closed. _I'll open my eyes in a few minutes_, he promised himself. _I just need to close them for a bit…_

A startling amount of heat was detected on Sora's face, and his eyes snapped opened to see steam engulfing him. A new pair of hands turned off the burners and began moving the pots off the stovetop as Sora just watched. He felt like an idiot.

"What are you doing sleeping next to the stove?" Cloud inquired, giving Sora strong poke in the head. "You're gonna cook yourself doing that. And burn the house down while you're at it."

"Sorry…" Sora strutted over to the cupboard to gather up some dishes to set the table with. His older brother sent him a glare.

"Don't drop a dish yet. Why don't you let me take care of it?"

"I'm fine," Sora argued, reaching for a serving bowl.

"You're trembling." It hadn't escaped Cloud's attention that the plates were shaky in Sora's grip. But Sora stood his ground, scooping the bowl into the small pile in his arms and made his way to the table.

"Seriously! I'll be fine!" Although, his head was spinning a little, he assumed it would subside soon.

"Okay." The older teenager rolled his eyes. "I really don't understand why you make yourself do so much Sora…" He observed worriedly as Sora was wobbled awkwardly, nearly sending a plate to the floor. But Sora didn't break anything as they set the table for dinner.

"Yeah. You're telling me."

* * *

_**January, 2012**_

**A/N: I actually made some significant changes here. Two points are worth mentioning, one more significant than the other.**

**First, I had to do some major rewritten of "baby" Sora. I was once stupider than I am now, and did not realize that children up to a certain age don't have the psychological ability to understand death as a permanent thing. Thus is Sora's misunderstanding of his parents "never coming back." **

**Second, I'd like to mention what I opted **_**not **_**to change. As you all can see, Ansem is actually "Xehanort." When this was originally written, we were up to **_**Chain of Memories**_** in terms of released games in the States, so the fact that Ansem = Xehanort/Xemas was not yet revealed and we all knew him as Ansem. I decided **_**not **_**to change his name here and will remain Ansem. **

**Although I tried to cut Cloud's ignorance, it's just too freaking complicated. Whatever. I was an idiot. We'll roll with it.**


	2. The Invitation

_**January, 2012**_  
**A/N: So you made it to chapter 2! Congratulations! The original holds some babble about ten reviewers. Whoopy-doo. I don't know if I'm just a bad writer, or if no one reviews anymore. (Jerks.)**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 2 - The Invitation_

The following morning, Sora woke to discover that his head felt as heavy as a rock. But he continued with the daily routine: shower, prepare breakfast, and jump in Cloud's car to go off to school.

"Are you _sure _you want to go to school today?" Cloud asked while setting the key in the ignition. "You look terrible."

"I don't want any school work to pile up on me while I stay home." This was the truth, but the real reason was because of their father. He'd probably accuse him of faking it or something and demand he clean the house from top to bottom. "I feel fine; stop worrying so much."

"All right." Cloud knew that fighting with Sora was useless.

When Cloud parked the car outside of school, Sora wearily hopped out the passenger's side and made a beeline for the steps. Every morning his friends all gathered in the same hallway, but when the first bell rang, they headed for homeroom.

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

"_Shit!" _His mind told his legs to run at lightning speed, but they refused to move any faster. Cloud, however, continued to take his time, undisturbed by the threat of tardiness.

As expected, when he got to the meeting spot, they were all gone. He would just have to go to homeroom without social time. At least he'd see get Tidus in homeroom.

Sora grabbed his books from his backpack and shoved his bag into the cubby next to Tidus's backpack. He sat in his desk, which sat in the dead center of the room just as the tardy bell rang. The morning announcements seemed to drag on forever that morning, and first period finally started after five minutes of mostly pointless dribble from the teacher.

"Okay, now today, we'll do a project on cellular respiration..." The silent moans could be felt, except Sora's, which was perfectly audible. "...by making flow charts. Here are some guidelines..."

Sitting at a lab table, angry Sora slammed his biology book down and began to open his book to the page that showed the subject he had most distaste for. Sora _hated _science and _hated _projects. His head was pounding from anger—or was that the same headache from that morning? Augh, whatever.

"Sora, are you okay?" Tidus asked, beginning to draw his first picture with a pencil.

"No! I _hate _projects! And she gives one every _week!"_

"Growling about it isn't going to do anything for you, you know."

"...thanks..."

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Invitation**_

* * *

First period flew by with Sora complaining the whole time. Second and third period were boring and involved constant wars with eyelids to not close. Finally comes Sora's favorite subject of the school day, fourth period.

Gym.

Well, it usually was his favorite subject, but with a sluggish body and throbbing skull, he had a feeling it was going to be very painful that day.

"Today we'll be playing games in volleyball!" The teacher, Ms. Eames (who was currently on crutches), wobbled over to the gathering of students. Sora was standing alone simply because he didn't get along with this particular class very well. He knew that if they had team captains, he would be the last one chosen despite his decent athletic talent. High school was all a popularity contest anyway, and he had no friends to lean on here. "Pair up with a partner with your equal playing ability."

Sora scoped the area. He wasn't looking for someone with "decent gym skills," just someone who needed a partner. He teamed with one of the quiet girls who didn't say much during this period either. Through a shuffling of students, four groups of students were split so that two games of volleyball could be played simultaneously.

Sora had gotten lucky and landed on a decent team: two of the boys, Riku and Gabe had good physical strength. There were a few other people who weren't that good—but they all had the guts to go for the ball instead of watching it land right in front of them. That meant Sora didn't have to hustle so hard and the hour could be tolerable.

During one game the volleys were exceptionally good; the ball constantly bounced back and forth in the plays—a somewhat rarity in gym class. Sora was poised and ready for the ball that was coming his way, but he suddenly had a dizzy spell and missed it completely.

"Sora! What was that for?" Sora jumped at the voice and turned to Gabe, who seemed mildly annoyed. "Get your head back in the game!"

"Ten serving seven!" A ball was tossed into the air and a new play was begun. Something suddenly struck in Sora. Intense fear began, and his heart pounded in his head.

"Sora, it's yours!" was all he heard but felt it pass by him again. "You really need to start paying attention!"

There was a new volley, and a new voice. "Are you—hey, kid, what's the matter?" His hand clutched his chest, unable to calm his erratic heartbeat. White dots hazed his vision. He was suffocating, maybe even dying... "What is it?" Something smacked his head, and his body became limp as it slammed into the wooden gym floors.

"_Dumb ass! Why wasn't he watching?"_

"_Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"_

"_I'll take him up the nurse..."_

Two strong arms carried him. But whom did they belong to? Silver locks shielded his eyes. "Sora... are you okay?" The voice was baritone, but gentle in nature. _"Yeah, he was knocked out in gym class when we were playing volleyball…"_

"I don't know what I'd do if you weren't..." Sora realized now he was lying down. He could feel Riku's breath on his neck, and suddenly hands were exploring his body—up, down, around… It felt good, but this was such an odd situation. He looked straight into Riku's eyes. Why did they have no color? He watched as two lids closed them shut, and he closed his own eyes as the space between their lips became less...

"Nothing's bruised or twisted." His eyes flittered open and his body shook in reaction. Dim light filled the small space. He looked up at the source of the voice, Riku, whom was sitting on a chair by his bed. This was the Nurse's Suite. So it was _Riku _that had carried him. "Hey, I see you're awake."

"Yeah..." Sora groaned as he sat up slowly. His head was spinning lightly, and his body fell back onto the bed when it took over completely. "What happened?"

"You were just standing there, like you were gasping for air, when the ball knocked you out." Sora stared at Riku, fascinated. He'd never him talk much before… "I carried you up here. You've got a fever of 100. Why did you come to school sick?"

"I didn't know I was sick," he lied. "But that's never happened to me when I've gotten sick."

"You've never played volleyball?"

"No! Everything went white and I couldn't breathe." He tried to recall what had happened, but only little bits and pieces were coming back. "My heart was pounding fast and had... I was just scared... like I was going to die." The moment the last part slipped, he found himself embarrassed. How could he confess something so stupid to a classmate who was basically a stranger? Especially a stranger that he'd just had a _very _confusing dream about…

"Sounds like a panic attack to me," the female nurse drew back the curtain and looked to the two boys. "It usually happens when you're stressed."

"Yeah... I guess I have been a little stressed lately..." With teachers and his father alike harping on him non-stop, who _wouldn't _be stressed?

"You should just sleep for the rest of the school day and let your fever go down," the nurse offered. "You've only got the remaining of fourth period and study hall."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Sora wouldn't mind sleeping through the rest of gym and the study hall. "Thanks for bringing me to the nurse's office, Riku."

"Next time, don't come to school if you feel sick. You could have gotten more hurt. Feel better, though." He waved a goodbye without actually looking at Sora, which annoyed him a little. The nurse left him as well and drew the curtain closed. Sora, now alone, closed his eyes to go back to sleep, but it was difficult with his body shivering. He cursed the nurse's suite for being so cold, drew himself into a ball, and fell unconscious.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Invitation**_

* * *

His eyes opened to a different light, which was brighter than when he'd fallen asleep. He shielded his face, groaning. "Guess you should have just stayed home after all, huh?"

"Cloud?" He blinked sleepily. "Where am I now?"

"I was called down to the nurse's office to take you home, but school's been over for a while." Cloud reached across the bed and stretched his fingers for a thermometer on the nightstand. When he grabbed it, he jabbed Sora's nose with it. Sora took the hint and stuck it in his mouth as Cloud continued. "I was also told that you had a panic attack." Sora was silent, because he found it difficult to talk with an electronic stick in his mouth. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded to his elder brother as the thermometer began to beep. Cloud checked it as Sora spoke the same thing he had wanted a few moments before. "I guess I've just had a lot to do lately. But... why am I in _your _bed?" It had taken Sora a few moments to realize he'd been sleeping in Cloud's bed.

"Your room is a mess," he simply answered. "100.3. Sora, you're not going to school tomorrow unless your temperature goes down to 98.6, and that's final." He lightly tossed the thermometer across the bed, where it landed on the nightstand without fail.

"But, what about my schoolwork?"

"I'll bring it home to you if you're so worried about it." Sora stared at him, the unspoken question clear to Cloud. "And don't worry about Dad; I'll take care of it. Just stay home tomorrow if you're still sick."

There was no point on trying to convince Cloud otherwise, so Sora just let his eyelids close. The warm feeling of unconsciousness pulled him under, and he forgot about everything else around him.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - The Invitation**_

* * *

"So... Sora is sleeping now?"

"Yes." Cloud nodded to his father, whom was sitting at his office desk. He took a moment to let his eyes scan over the papers scattered across the wooden top before continuing. "He has a fever."

"I see..." The man almost seemed disinterested, picking up a folder and flipping through it. Cloud knew that Ansem never really cared highly for Sora, so he assumed it to be out of annoyance. Without another word, Cloud left the room.

Later that night, Cloud poked his head in his bedroom. He was afraid to turn on the light in fear that Sora would wake up, so he walked into the darkness and closed the door behind him. He began to shuffle blindly, arms held out to navigate his path. With a hand gliding against one wall, he groped for the dresser and counted down to the third drawer where he kept his night clothes. He knew he'd probably picked something out that didn't remotely match, but no matter. He stripped himself of his shirt in the dark and then kicked off his jeans, and carelessly he left them somewhere on the floor. As he began to tug the pants around his legs, he heard, "Cloud, do you need a light?" There was a bang, and shortly after there was light.

Sora was groggily standing by the light switch looking at the source of the bang. Cloud was lying on his stomach, wearing nothing more than dark blue boxers and green plaid pajama pants that were only up to his knees. "Why were you changing in the dark?"

He popped his head up with a big red dot now stamped on his forehead. "So you wouldn't wake up."

"I was already awake before you even came in, actually." Sora gave a great yawn. "But I didn't know what you were doing, so I didn't say anything."

"Hm." Cloud stood up and finished clothing himself; he yanked his pants up the rest of the way and tossed a loose gray shirt over his head. Guess the ensemble wasn't so badly picked after all. "Why weren't you asleep?"

"I can't sleep," Sora replied, sitting back on the bed. "I feel sick."

"You _are _sick." Cloud walked over to his younger brother as he pulled his arm through the sleeves and tussled Sora's hair, which was slick with sweat. "Go lie back down." Sora obeyed while Cloud turned off one lamp, keeping the other on. The blonde walked back over and sat by his side. "What exactly is keeping you awake?"

"My head hurts..." Sora rolled to his side. Cloud rose again.

"I'll be right back." He left, and true to his word, he entered quickly again with a small bottle and a glass of water in hand. "Aleve should help—it'll take the fever down for a while too." He took out two small pills and handed them and the water to Sora, who practically inhaled the medication. "But it'll be a little bit until it kicks in."

"Hey... Cloud?" Sora crawled back into the bed sheets and practically buried himself in them. He wouldn't be surprised if he got Cloud sick too at this rate, but… well, he was the one who put him in the bed in the first place.

Cloud put a hand on the lump that he called a brother. "Hm?"

"Um... thanks. For taking care of me and stuff. "

"Sure. …you know, you should really stay home tomorrow."

"Eh, maybe." Sora seemed determined to go to school tomorrow. But what good would it do him if he was sick? If Cloud only knew.

Sora unfurled the sheets from around him, turning to face Cloud. "I think I've overstayed my welcome." Slowly he crawled from the bed. "It was nice using your bed, but I'm sure you'll want it for bed. G'night." Sora shuffled half-asleep back to his own bed, and fell asleep before he even known he'd closed his eyes at all.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Invitation**_

* * *

It felt foreign to wake up in the middle of the day. He was so used to getting up before dawn, so it was strange to see sunlight first thing. He still felt feverish, and he rolled over to check how late he'd let himself sleep in. He'd get a shower if he had time, maybe just toast for breakfast… how much time did he have?—

"It's _one o' clock_? Damn it!" He scurried out of bed despite his body's aching, knowing that he was more than likely in deep shit if his dad found out he'd skipped school.

He tread carefully downstairs, step by step, as quietly as possible. Maybe if someone was looking out for him way up there, his dad would have gone to his office today, and would never know that Sora never went to school.

"Feeling better, Sora?"

Guess not.

Sora turned on his heel to face the dreaded voice behind him, knowing that the worst was going to come sooner or later. His eyes snapped shut as his body was slammed into the wall. He didn't want to see anything. But this wasn't the first time this had happened, and Sora knew the routine. Everything was still until Sora looked at those eyes.

He cracked his eyes open to stare at a frightening pair of amber. They glared right into Sora as if daggers could pierce them out. Then the _crack _of a slap came across his face. He'd take ten more if he could look anywhere else right now.

But Ansem demanded respect, which was looking him straight in the eye. And if Sora wavered—even _slightly _lost focus, he was just worsening the situation.

"I bet you faked the whole damn thing," he sneered. When Sora didn't move, didn't even twitch a muscle, he kicked Sora in the stomach. He croaked as he fell to his knees and clutched his stomach. He could hardly breathe with the wind knocked out of him so hard. "Didn't you?"

Sora hadn't realized that he'd been staring at the floor until Ansem kicked his leg, a little harder than usual. "Next time you'll remember to answer me, then." And he heard the footsteps fade away until Ansem returned to his den.

When he heard the door click shut, Sora laid down on the floor with his forehead pressed to the cool wood. He knew he should have been asking himself how this was right at all—what he'd done to deserve such treatment—but he was beyond those questions. Now he only asked himself, "How do I get out of this one without the least amount of pain possible?" which sometimes was a guessing game.

As soon as Sora could breathe again, he hoisted himself up and dragged himself upstairs. He'd hide until Cloud got back, and then he'd at least have someone there with him. Ansem wouldn't dare attack him with Cloud in the house.

The ascent to his bedroom felt like it took forever, and he ducked under his sheets to resume his sleeping. But just as he was on the edges of sleep, a hand shook him from his sleep.

"Sora? Hey, Sora?" He groaned, now having a huge bruise on his abdomen on top of a raging headache and feeling absolutely languid. He just wanted to be left to sleep, damn it. "Soraaaaa…"

He knew that voice to be Kairi's. He didn't even have the energy to tell her to go away. "Shouldn't you still be in school?"

"I had a dentist appointment, silly!" She then poked a manila folder at Sora's face. "Here you go! All of the homework you missed today. You sick?" Sora rolled over and gave a weak nod. "Well, I hope you're better by this weekend _becaaaauuuuse _I want you to go with me to the party!"

"Hm? What party?"

"The big costume party that Leon has every year? You should come with me!"

"But I'm grounded for the next two weeks. I..." _Quick! Make up an excuse! _"I snapped back at my dad, and he wasn't very happy about it."

"Sora, why do you have to go run your mouth?" Kairi brought a hand to her chin. "I'll think of something. Just count on getting better so you can go!"

And as that as her goodbye, she disappeared from the window.

Costume party, huh? He wondered if Kairi could actually make a decent plan…

* * *

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: This was the last of the major editing, so don't be too disappointed when the next chapter is fixed for continuity with this chapter and grammar only. But I hope you're enjoying so far! **

**Should also mention that I anti-assholed Riku. It really didn't get too far in the story in the first place, and it's just a cliché goof. So there. Now Riku is nice. c;**


	3. The Meeting

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: As mentioned in previous chapter, this is now only being edited for grammar, to connect continuity with the editing in Chapter 2, and to cut out embarrassing tidbits (mostly irrelevant side notes.) So the writing is now considerably lower in level. Please forgive me!**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 3 - The Meeting_

"You know your brother went to the party, right?"

"Yep." Sora rolled his eyes. The night of the party had come upon them, and Sora had been surprised when Cloud was leaving the house decked out in a mummy costume.

"Your dad's out of town this weekend too, right?"

"Yeeeep."

"Well, then this plan is bound to work!"

"Plan?" A huge pile of cloth was flung in his face as Kairi climbed through the window, a bag slung over her shoulder. Sora unfolded it and held it out before him, baffled. "This is your costume? I never imagined you as a dress person, but—"

"That's not mine. _My _costume is a female warrior."

"Then who's this for?"

"You." Sora's expression was priceless. First he gawked at Kairi, then at the dress. It was a silky pink, long and poofy at the bottom. The top was strewn with red ribbons that drew across the chest, closing two flaps on the sides. The sleeves were very small and short, making the dress quite unflattering. But he hated the bow in the back the most. It was huge and reminded him of Pepto Bismol.

"No. Way. In. Hell."

"Hey, if you don't want to be recognized, the best way to go is opposite gender. They'll never guess it's you, and it'll never get back to your dad!"

"This plan sucks, Kairi."

"You want to go?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Then you will follow my plan! I guarantee you success!" Before Sora could protest, Kairi grabbed him too tight for any escape. "We've got two hours to dress you up!"

* * *

_**Cinderfella - The Meeting**_

* * *

"Can I open my eyes yet?"

"No."

"...how about now?"

"Do you want to be poked in the eye with eyeliner?"

"No, but..."

"Then be patient!" There was another pause. "Okay, you can open 'em now." Sora twitched his eyelids open and stared into the mirror. He looked almost _stunning, _his face looked more like a girl's than it already had. Kairi's make-up made it look so natural. The dress hid the fact that he was a boy. (Both bottom and top portions.) The only problem he could find wrong with this picture he pointed out to his female friend with an index finger.

"I think they'll notice the hair."

"We have an hour and ten minutes left for _that, _Sora! And I know just what we're going to do!" She waved a hair straightener, a bottle of some kind of gel, hair pins and a blonde wig.

A long fifty minutes finally concluded as Kairi attached the wig on properly. Who knew putting on a wig could take so long? First Kairi had to straighten his spikey hair, and then she attached the blonde hair with the pins and the assistance of the gel. But when Sora took a good look at himself in the mirror again, he looked nothing like a boy. She _was _clever after all... "And now for the finishing touches!"

"We're not _done _yet?"

"It's just accessories, silly!" She gave him a pair of white shoes with barely a heel, strung a plain silver necklace around his neck, but pouted at his next problem. "Dammit, the gloves are too big. Oh well, we'll just roll them down some." She rolled the long white gloves down at the top so it was secure on the top part of his arm, even though it still looked slightly goofy.

"Are we done yet?"

"Yeah, we're done." She crossed her arms and nodded proudly. "You make such a pretty girl, Sora! Shucks, you're making me blush..."

"Shut-up!"

* * *

_**Cinderfella - The Meeting**_

* * *

As they walked up Leon's driveway, they could hear the loud rock music blaring. When they opened the music, unclear metal practically shattered their eardrums. Kairi looked at Sora and said something, but Sora only saw her mouth move. _"What?"_

"I said,_ is- e- ate?"_

"WHAT?"

"I SAID, ISN'T IT GREAT?"Sora twitched: the redhead had been yelling directly in his ear.

"YEAH, UH, SURE!" He was already getting a headache. People were everywhere, conversing somehow underneath the music. Next thing he knew, he felt himself being tugged on by the arm and dragged to a group of people. He recognized the Tidus as a vampire, but couldn't make out who the werewolf was. It's hard to tell who people are when they're wearing a latex mask.

"HEY GUYS!" Kairi shouted. "ISN'T THIS GREAT?"

"YA!" Sora almost distinguished the voice as Wakka, but he still couldn't tell. "WHERE'S SELPHIE AND SORA?"

"SELPHIE'S A FRESHMAN, REMEMBER?"

"OH YEAH!"

"AND THIS IS MY FRIEND, DORA!"

"YOU SAID THAT'S SORA?"

"NO! SORA'S GROUNDED! THIS IS _DORA! _DOOR WITH AN 'A'!"

"OH, NICE TO MEET YOU! I'M TIDUS AND THIS IS WAKKA!" He shook both of their hands, feeling like an idiot. "ARE YOU FROM AROUND HERE?"

"YEAH, UH, I'M JUST HOMESCHOOLED!"

"OH, THAT'S COOL!" He was beginning to figure out how people were talking under the music: they were screaming their lungs out. He wondered how many people would get laryngitis by the end of the weekend... "SO, KAIRI—"

"Hey, guys, I've got to go to the bathroom..." or anywhere else was fine for Sora, as long as it got him away from the loud noise, and he was tired of yelling to just talk.

"WHAT?" the other three said in unison.

"I'M GOING TO THE FREAKIN' BATHROOM!" Sora left in a hurry, he needed to get out before he lost his hearing.

"DOES SHE KNOW WHERE THE BATHROOM IS?"

"I DON'T THINK SO..."

He cursed Kairi for stuffing him in such a fluffy dress, because it proved to be a challenge to get through all the people. His eyes looked at Cloud for a moment: he was standing up against the wall next to another guy with brunet hair. He recognized the guy as a senior, but didn't have enough time to figure out who exactly he was when Cloud began to stare straight as his eyes. Startled, Sora turned away and headed for his original escape route—a staircase that may lead him to some sort of bathroom.

There were people sitting on the steps. _Shit. _

He tried his next plan. Surely Leon wouldn't mind if someone would go outside for fresh air. His eyes spotted a door in the kitchen, and he bustled his way on through until he was able to literally toss himself outside on his stomach and hastily kick the door shut.

The air felt better than he imagined: it was slightly chilly, but ten times better than the choking heat that came from the people inside the house. It was quiet enough so he could hear his own panting, exhaust from his breath clearly seen under the dim porch lights. His body jumped when he heard footsteps come near him and stop. Intense fear made him shudder: was his wig still on right? Would he be recognized?

"Hey, are you all right?" His ears picked up on familiarity, but couldn't quite figure out why. "Did some guys pick on you at all?"

"What are you... talking about?" he groaned, rolling onto his back and looking up. It was a boy his age, who was dressed as a knight. His silver locks of hair were tied back in a ponytail. Silver hair... it suddenly came back to him. "Ah-ah..."

"You're too cute to have come alone… Did you come with a boyfriend or something?"

_Cute? _The four-letter adjective used by Riku made him shiver. "I... don't have a boyfriend..." Or a girlfriend either, but that wasn't the point.

"Did you come here by yourself?"

"N-no... I came with my friend, Kairi." He closed his eyes, trying not to remember. This scene reminded him of the dream he had before he woke in the nurse's office—he didn't want to think about it.

"Kairi, ah! I know who she is. ...um, would you like a hand?" He rose and held a hand to Sora, who took it with his gloved hand and got to his feet. "How rude of me! My name is Riku." He simply took the hand he was already holding and shook it. "And your name?"

"Dora," he squeaked as he looked down. This seemed like a different Riku—someone more straightforward and confident. The Riku he knew at school was quiet and reserved.

"Dora..." He smiled. "Nice to meet you. I've never seen you around school before..."

"I'm homeschooled."

"Oh, that explains it. But why aren't you with Kairi?"

"It was too loud, and I like my hearing." This made Riku chuckle.

"Yeah, same here." He walked towards the gate and leaned on it, hands clutching the spaces between the vertical bars. "And I couldn't stand being around that many people for that long." He sighed before continuing. "At school I don't really talk to anyone because it makes me nervous. Nervous that…" He trailed off silently, not completing the sentence.

Sora didn't quite know how to react. Riku was _nervous_? Why? He was quite handsome, and he'd overheard girls talking about his attractiveness before. There's no reason for him to not be able to make friends easily, at least not that Sora could see…

"So how did you end up out here?" Sora asked, trying to divert the conversation.

"Well, I made the mistake of wearing the costume that would make me as sexy as possible. So there was a flocking to me, and I just needed some air." Riku chuckled awkwardly.

"Err, well, I can see why…" What the hell was he saying?

At this, Riku gave a heartily laugh. "So what's the matter?"

"What's the what?" He glanced up for the first time in a while at Riku.

"You look upset about something. Come on over here by the gate with me." He gestured him over with a waving of the hand, and Sora came over shyly. "You're just looking down. Something bothering you?"

"No, I..." He had to know. He just _had _to know, ever since that dream. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead, lifted his head and looked right into the teenager's face. His breath hitched when he saw those two eyes. That aquamarine was such a familiar color. He felt his heartbeat in his chest and realized he hadn't breathed since he finally saw Riku's color-filled eyes.

His eyes looked just like Sora's real father's.

"What... what is it?" He could feel Riku's increased awkwardness, and turned away.

"N-nothing. ...it's nothing." From that time before he woke in the nurse's office, that _dream _he had, he had wanted to know Riku's eye color. The fact that in his dream, his eyes were colorless frightened him, and for some reason, he needed to know if he couldn't fill in the blank for the lack of knowledge, or if his eyes really _were _gray. But now he wished he had never looked. His father's face was beginning to dance in his memory, and soon his mother was there too. That night, the last night he would ever see them...

"Are you sure?" Sora jumped when a hand gripped his own gently. It had only been Riku. What would he do if he knew that this was _Sora, _the same boy who he'd brought to the nurse's just a few days ago? "If there's nothing wrong, I'd like to ask you a question then..."

"_Oh no..." _Did he send the wrong signals? For some reason, this was starting to make him giddy, but that wasn't right! It was the dress doing this... just the feeling of cross-dressing, right? He could feel his bare, (unfortunately, forced by Kairi) shaved legs shaking underneath. "Yes?"

"Why are your gloves so big?" He began to laugh when Sora's face turned a deep red. His... gloves? He guessed it was hard to avoid seeing the problem: his gloves looked silly on his arms. Underneath where Kairi had rolled them down, they were puffing out most, and the entire glove was loose around his arm and hand. The funniest looking part of them were the loose fingertips.

"Er... Kairi gave them to me," he said. Why _had_ Kairi given them to him in the first place? Maybe to hide the hairy arms that he _didn't _have? They were bothering him already, he supposed it wouldn't hurt her feelings or give away anything if he took them off. "But now that I think about it, they look stupid. I'll take them off and set them here." Grabbing the tip of the fingers, he tugged each one off easily. As he did so, Riku spoke again.

"Well, I was going to actually ask if you'd dance with me out here... I hear a slow song starting." Riku's face came close to resembling a ripe tomato.

Sora was startled. "You... want to dance with _me?" _Not that he was unwilling _completely, _he had always wondered what it was like to dance with someone, but from what he inferred from Riku, he thought he didn't want a girlfriend. But maybe he found Sora interesting, which was sort of strange.

"Yeah, you've... been pretty cool to talk too. Even though we haven't been doing much talking. So, how about it?" He held out a hand to his hopeful dance partner's.

_Here, you can be anything._

Kairi wasn't around... and Riku would never find out that it was him. The last thing that tempted him into it was when he heard the lead singer.

_Anything that scares you. I think that scares you._

"Yeah... sure." He took Riku's and set his hand on the other's shoulder nervously. Shuddering as a hand was placed on his hip comfortably, they began to move back and forth in rhythm.

"Is this the first time you've danced with someone else?"

"Yeah... you?"

"Yeah, this is my first time, too." So they were both sharing their first dance with each other. How awkwardly… romantic.

Before he thought about what he was doing, he moved his arms to hold Riku around the waist and leaned against him. In response, Riku held Sora around the shoulders. It felt better than he imagined it to be: his body was warm under the costume he wore. Temporarily, he forgot who he was and who he was with, he just let himself fall into the sea of comfort. Closing his eyes, he took it all in.

Before he knew it, seven minutes were gone. He wearily opened his eyes, and looked at Riku's shockingly green ones, and shivered. His dance partner must have felt this and asked, "What's the matter, Dora?"

"It's... I..." He quickly thought of an excuse. "That was nice. Thanks, Riku." He smiled and closed his eyes. Anything to shut out those beautiful eyes.

"It was my pleasure." Riku peered down at the blonde thoughtfully. "You know... that costume makes you look like a princess."

"Aw, gee, thanks..." Maybe too _much _of a compliment. "I think—"

"So-Dora!" In shock, Sora leaped about a few centimeters in the air and gripped Riku for support, which knocked them both over on the ground. Sora was on top, his legs were spread out with Riku's inbetween. They looked at each other and blushed before looking at the person who caused the whole thing. "Er... is this a bad time?"

"This isn't what you're thinking!" Sora rolled off the other and sat upright. "You scared me and I—"

"It's okay, you don't have to explain. I was just going to tell you that we should get going. I'll meet you out front." She was giggling as she left. Sora pouted as Riku rose and held out a hand once more. "Isn't this where we started?"

"Yeah, I guess..." He blushed and used his hand to get up. "Anyway, I have to go. But it was, uh, cool talking to you. I hope I see you again sometime..." _At least in this disguise, _he thought.

"Me too. This was nice." Sora grabbed his glove and turned for the door, but before he could twist it open, a kiss on the cheek scared him. "Thanks for the dance, by the way."

"Y-your... welcome..." He stumbled inside. "See ya, Riku!" With that, he closed the door and ran for the front door as fast as he could get through.

Still outside, the boy sighed. Would he ever see lovely Dora again? For some reason, he felt as though he had already met her, but... when would he have met her? He racked his brains for the answer, but lost track when he saw something white on the ground. Picking it up and examining it, he realized it had been her glove. She wasn't coming back, surely? He decided to keep it... for a keepsake of the night he had his first dance.

Meanwhile, Sora was making his way out to meet Kairi. He found her outside giggling as if her stomach would bust and her insides would spill. "What's so funny?" But she only laughed harder, and he blushed as he suddenly remembered their previous meeting. "You scared me and I fell on top of him! _Your _fault!"

"Oh, stop making excuses! This is what they call _love!"_

"Shut-up!" He smacked her with his single glove. Kairi blinked.

"...hey, where's the other glove?"

"The other...? _Ack! _I left it inside! Wait, I'll—!" He moved to go back when the girl tugged on the back of his dress. "Oh no, I don't think so! Forget it; they were an old pair from a previous costume."

"Don't you want it back?"

"Just forget the stupid thing! I _wanted _to tell you before that I overheard Cloud suspect you, and Tidus and Wakka were saying you looked familiar too... but I found you about to make love, so it was hard to say!"

"How did overheard Cloud with the music _that _loud—" Pause. "WHAT?" But she was already long gone. "KAIRI, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" But he was laughing as he chased after her. It had been such a dreamy night, he couldn't tell what streets were which anymore. Kairi was his only way home.

* * *

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: Lyrics from **_**Just Watch the Fireworks **_**by Jimmy Eat World. This was actually one of the inspiring songs for this fanfic in a random way… don't think I ever mentioned that. c:**

**Now you can see my progressive laziness to edit properly. I don't have time to nit-pick every bad line of dialogue or nonsense description. But hopefully it still holds up okay. Blegh.**


	4. A Startling Interruption

_**January, 2012  
**_**A/N: Do you like how strange these titles are? There was some kind of weird system I had, but… haha, whatever. Don't worry about it. **

**Most of the consistency writing is smoothed out from here. Will mention major changes as we go. Otherwise… whatever.**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 4 - A Startling Interruption_

* * *

The sky was empty of stars, but this was hardly observed by the concentrating Cloud, sitting at the wheel. The roads were completely empty, and the clocked glowed the time, 11:32. He was a half-hour past curfew, and he had to make it to the house before the cops caught him...

Good thing Ansem wasn't home to catch him coming late.

His heart stopped as lights slowly traced over the car and away, and he exhaled in relief. He was being too cautious. _Just keep focused and watch for children jumping out of the dark..._

_Wow. That was random. Focus!_

He sighed happily as he pulled in the driveway next to the house and stepped out, shutting the car door behind him. Now he had plenty of room in his head to let the night's memories buzz through.

The party had been okay, but not exciting. He wasn't particular friendly with people, but Leon seemed to understand. His parents apparently insisted that he throw a party every year to make new friends (which he rarely did) and since his parents were never home to chaperone this, everyone attended. You'd think by now that someone else's parents would have said something, but nothing terrible ever happened, so everything was peachy.

In truth though, Leon didn't want new friends. He was fine being alone... although it did get a little depressing at times. Cloud could relate, but he knew he was never completely never alone as long as he had Sora.

Speaking of Sora, where _was _he? He had been expecting Sora to be asleep on the couch with the television playing quietly and a possibly overturned bowl of popcorn at his side. But he was not found anywhere on the first floor. His younger brother couldn't possibly be in bed this early, could he? Maybe he was still recovering from his illness from the previous two days, despite what he had said about feeling better... that would explain why he really hadn't wanted to go after all.

He dismissed the thought as he sleepily walked upstairs, switching off any random lights along the way. Without a second to catch himself, a long piece of bandage from his mummy costume fell under a foot and tripped him. He cursed loudly, but peeped himself quiet when he remembered Sora may have been asleep.

Gripping the loose bandage in his hand, he stumbled into his own room to find the light on. This appeared strange to him until he saw the sleeping figure on his bed. Homework that he'd been working on with Cloud before was scattered on his bed; Sora's cheek was using a binder as a pillow. He was about to wake him to clean up his stuff and gain possession of his bed when he found two very strange things.

One, Sora's unruly hair trademark that the brothers shared had been tamed. Two, his eyes looked darker and his cheeks looked rosy... as if make-up had been applied. That was disturbing to Cloud. A hand reached awkwardly and shook his back lightly. Sora's eyes opened almost instantly to the touch, but slowly opened in a daze. "Cloud?..." he murmured. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get outta my bed, buddy." He began to pile Sora's completed schoolwork as the younger brother sat up and rubbed his eyes wearily. "What were you doing in my bed, anyway?"

"What does it look like?" he said sarcastically, glancing at the papers Cloud was gathering in his hands.

"I mean, why in _my _bed?"

"Because I was too tired to move it..." he groaned. "Sorry Cloud, I'll go to my bed." He took the papers that Cloud handed to him.

"I's all right as long as you get some sleep, okay?" He began to undress the rest of his costume as Sora wearily headed out the door. "But before you go, I _do _want to ask you a question..."

"What is it?" He leaned against the door frame, not bothering to turn around.

"Why the hell are you wearing make-up, and why is your hair straight?"

There was a pause. With no more brain juice to think of anymore clever lies, he replied dryly, "That was two questions," and left without a real response. Cloud rose a brow. Sora must have been worn out.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Startling Interruption**_

* * *

The next morning, Cloud's eyelids opened to let bright sunlight pierce them, temporarily blinding him. Groaning, he flopped a pillow over his head to shut it out. He peeked from under to look at his alarm clock. It was only eight o' clock. He sighed, knowing he would never get more sleep with the intense sunlight, and wearily crawled out of bed.

Downstairs, Sora was humming happily as he shuffled through the cabinets. He instantly pulled a box of Rice Krispies out and set it on the table, the sides wobbling for a few seconds, and then slammed a jug of milk on the counter, causing the box to shake once more and the milk to splash inside. Cloud watched curiously. Never was Sora in such a happy mood, nor did he ever serve himself cereal. "What's got you in such a happy mood?" Normally he'd see Sora jump out of his skin, but this time the brunette only shrugged.

"Dunno. I woke up feeling pretty swell," he replied. He grabbed a blue plastic bowl from one of the cupboards and poured cereal in it, topped with more milk than cereal. "Want some cereal?" he asked as he dumped spoonfuls of sugar into his bowl.

Cloud grimaced as he spoke, "Um... want some cereal with your sugar milk?" Sora laughed in response. "Sure, leave the milk out for me." The older shoveled out a box of Captain Crunch and quickly poured some into the bowl Sora handed him. "So, you never answered my question last night."

"Question_s,_" Sora corrected, emphasizing the plural s. "I wanted to see if my hair could ever be physically tamed when Kairi came over and asked for help with her costume. I took a quick nap when she took forever to get her costume on her back and I woke up with make-up on my face." It had taken him quite a while to think of the half-assed lie, but at least it was reasonable.

"Kairi... she did go to the party last night, didn't she? With some girl that looked kinda like you."

Sora shuddered inwardly. "Like... me? What, are you saying that I look like a girl?"

"No, I'm saying she looked like you. Which makes me wonder... what did _you _do last night?"

Sora froze. He had been working so hard on a clever excuse for the hair and make-up that he forgot to think of what to answer _this_ question with! "Er... I ate cereal, watched some television, and did my homework before falling asleep." But lying came so natural at this point in time that coming up with excuses was as easy as reading a clock.

"Ah... boring night, then?"

"Yup."

"Then why didn't you come?"

"I told you, I really didn't feel like it." After that, they both dismissed the topic and moved on to the next subject of the day. "So... when is Dad supposed to come home?"

"Later this evening. Hey, I'm going to the mall today. Did you want to come?" Cloud offered as he set his empty bowl in the sink. He was a fast eater compared to Sora, whose bowl was still a third full.

"Naw... I've got to finish up my homework yet."

"You _still _didn't finish it? Your papers were all filled out when I saw them last night. You can't tell me there was more."

"I still don't understand Biology... I just have to read it over in my book."

"Can't you do that after the mall?" Sora shook his head. "All right... I'll be back before Dad. I gotta go upstairs and shower before I go."

Sora stared at Cloud's face for a moment before remarking, "I _do _see black marks around your eyes, now that I... what _is _that? And you can't say Kairi did it in your sleep."

Cloud stared right back at him. "It was from my mummy costume last night. Now, I'm really going to go get my shower now." He left his younger brother in the kitchen as he headed upstairs for the bathroom.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Startling Interruption**_

* * *

In an electronics store, Cloud shuffled through the CDs that were packed loosely together. But he was having no luck finding what he wanted. "Gone Tomorrow, Gray Hearted Souls, Hail from Hell... Hovering Knives... hey, where is it?" He continued to shuffle through the shelf, his search becoming more hopeless by the second.

"Do you need help?" he heard a voice ask behind him. Cloud didn't look up at the addressee, supposing it was one of the assistants in the store.

"I'm looking for Hang Me on Tuesday's new CD..." he said semi-quietly, still looking as he spoke.

"Oh, I have that one. I could burn it for you and bring it in on Monday if you'd like."

"What?" Confused, Cloud peered up to see who he was talking to. To his surprise, it was an all too familiar classmate, now dressed in regular attire. "Leon?"

"Yes, that's my name. Do you want a copy?"

"I mean... I didn't know it was you!"

"Who did you think I was?"

"I thought you were somebody who worked here!"

"Okay, then..." Leon rose a curious brow. "You still haven't answered my question."

"The copy? Oh, yeah, that'd be great!" Cloud wasn't usually this talkative or excited, but why suddenly was he stumbling over his own (and Leon's) words? "So, how have you been?"

"I've been just as well as I was last night," he answered sarcastically.

"Well, I mean... uh, anyway, are your parent's home yet?"

"No. They're out of town until tomorrow evening."

"Ah... my dad's coming home tonight."

"Okay?" Cloud cringed inwardly. He felt like he was getting nowhere with Leon. Last night they had a good conversation, but today Cloud was out of it. He couldn't pinpoint why though... he supposed his social withdrawal affected him. "Actually, if you're not doing anything, you can come over to my house and we can burn it over there. Then you wouldn't have to wait."

"What? Yeah, sure, that'd be better. Were you looking for anything here at the mall?"

"Naw, I already picked up what I wanted." He waved his packaged videogame, _Gunner Wars _in the air. "I saw you over here as I was about to leave the store... so, you know what happened from there."

"I mistook you for an employee?" He attempted a chuckle, but it became sour as Leon simply grunted and began to walk out. "Meet me at my house then." He continued to walk on out. Cloud sighed. He chose to suddenly become friends with the most sarcastic kid on the planet.

Or were they even friends?

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Startling Interruption**_

* * *

The house seemed more friendly when it was deserted of high school students. Cloud knocked nervously on the door, and flinched as it was widely opened by his friend. "You don't need to knock, just come in."

He followed Leon inside to find the home perfectly warm. It was much different from his own house. Cloud's house seemed remarkably clean, and it had no scent. Here several blankets, pillows, and sweatshirts laid on the floors and in no orderly manner on the couches and chairs. The house itself had a particular but comforting scent.

"I already started burning the CD for you, it's on the computer. If you're hungry, just go grab something from the fridge. I was just watching television before you came, so I'll be out in the living room." Without another word, Leon disappeared from the small foyer. Cloud _was _hungry, which was evident by its quiet gurgling, but he didn't want to impose. Instead, he followed Leon into the room. He was watching television.

"What is this?" Cloud asked, plopping himself down on the floor in front of the couch, on which Leon had sprawled out.

"I don't know. I just kind of turned on whatever."His expression was as blank as his monotone voice. Figuring he wouldn't get a more straight answer than that, he just shrugged and continued to watch. "Hey, aren't you hungry?"

"No."

"I said you can have something if you'd like."

"I'm telling you, I'm not hungry."

"I heard your stomach growling before."

"I'm not hungry!" They both were quiet except for Cloud's stomach, which made a loud growling noise. How embarrassing…

"Seriously, go eat. I'm not gonna sit here and let you starve."

"But I don't wanna..."

"Here." He rose from his spot and almost instantly came back with a bag of cheese puffs in his hand. "No one wants these, so eat 'em." He threw the bag, which landed squarely on Cloud's nose.

"Er, thanks..." He opened the bag and began to crunch on the snack. Leon didn't seem to mind the noise, so he continued to eat as he watched TV.

There was a moment that Cloud laughed, but when he heard no one laughing with him, he suddenly hushed.

"Why did you stop laughing?" Leon asked.

"I was being loud," he lied.

"You weren't that loud." A few minutes passed before Cloud began to laugh again, but this time he looked back at Leon to see if he was annoyed. He was... _smiling? _Leon's eyes looked over at Cloud and the corners of his lips fell back into place as Cloud spun himself around. The matter was dropped silently.

"I think your CD's done burning."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Here, I'll show you." Leon pulled himself up and off the couch, and walked upstairs, followed by a tripping Cloud. When they walked into his room, Leon walked towards the computer as Cloud's eyes explored his new surroundings. The walls were still white, but the clutter on the floor made the room more vibrant. He couldn't resist jumping onto the red sheets that covered his mattress. His comforter was scarlet, but his was a bright red. He found them to be thicker than his own and wrapped himself in them as Leon popped a CD from the computer. He turned around in his chair to find a giant red lump on his bed. "What the hell are you doing?"

"This is comfy," Cloud's muffled voice broke through a small hole in the covers, light shining in his cocoon.

"Really? Because those are mine."

"Mmmff... I think I'll sleep here tonight." His eyes actually began to droop with drowsiness caused by the same boy who owned the bed, but they shot open instantly as something heavy suddenly flopped on top of him.

"Fine, but I want my comfy sheets back." A hand found an entrance through the messy cocoon and began to grope for the boy that laid inside. Cloud shook as tender fingers touched his sensitive stomach, and a pair of hands reached to still the searching one.

"Wait, Leon! Stop!" Cloud called from under. His heart began to beat violently. What the hell was Leon doing? And even worse... why did he like it?

"I'm sorry, what was that?" His hand continued to touch and reach. Cloud almost gave in and let him continue to stretch his fingers across his abdomen, but snapped back into a reality.

"Please! Look, I'll give 'em back... but you're _really—" _Suddenly the covers began to pull and rolled him on his back. Artificial light woke him from his dazy state, but was overshadowed by Leon's face. Amazingly, his face was just as blank as it was when he watched television. Cloud didn't understand. Perhaps he didn't know what he was doing? But then why was his face pinker than usual?

"You look flushed, Cloud. Too much heat?" Cloud shuddered. Was he making puns or being sarcastic? It was too difficult to tell...

"It was hot underneath _you," _he pointed out. He realized what that sounded like, and peeped.

"Really, now? I imagine it still is. Well, your CD's sitting on the computer desk whenever you'd like to leave." Cloud was relieved to shift his field of view near the computer, where a round disk shone rainbow stripes.

"I... sorta can't get up, Leon..." Without a word, Leon rolled off Cloud and laid on his back as Cloud quickly hopped from the bed and snatched the CD. Leon, being lazy, continued to lay like a dead man and lifted a slightly waving arm. "Hey, see you later."

"Yeah, see you later." Still shivering, he walked carefully out of the house. But as soon as he shut the front door, he ran for the car and drove away fairly quickly. What he didn't know was that the brunette had watched this course of action from his window, and smirked.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Startling Interruption**_

* * *

When Cloud walked into the house, he announced his presence with a, "I'm home!" and trailed himself up to his room. Thinking about it, he probably spent half of his life in his own cave. Maybe that's why he didn't watch much television.

He popped the blank disk in the CD player and promptly flopped onto his bed. He closed his eyes and listened to the lyrics, enjoying this simple passing of the time. That was, until he heard the door creak open.

"Cloud!" Sora entered, his face brightened with a smile. "When did you get home?"

"A few minutes ago, when I shouted, 'I'm home.'"

"I didn't hear you!" His smile was a warm candle that melted the memories of Leon's icey, blank look. He somewhat missed his companion, but his brother numbed the feeling. "You were gone for a long time."

"I couldn't find the CD, so Leon gave me a burned copy."

"Isn't that piracy?"

"Do I look like a pirate?" Cloud joked, rolling on his back. Sora chuckled.

"Haha. Yeah, let's go sailing later and go steal some treasure." He welcomed himself in the room and sat beside his older brother. "Hey, I never thanked you for before."

"For what?"

"Taking care of me when I was sick."

"Sora, you know I don't like it when you're ill... then you're all dead and whatnot..."

"Yeah, but thanks is something simple I should have said..."

"I'm sure you said it a couple of times."

"I don't recall..."

"Because you were sick, you dummy!" He grabbed the nearest pillow and smacked Sora's head with it.

"Hey!" He laughed as tried to take the pillow, which turned into a tug-of-war. Simplistic pleasures like these were taken for granted, whether they realized it or not.

* * *

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: I really tested to see if slamming a milk jug would knock over a nearly empty cereal box. But nope, it didn't. …I was so crazy at fifteen. (sigh)**

**Hang Me on Tuesday was a band name my older sister and I came up with for an emo band. However, I cut their lyrics out of the fic, because insert lyrics are usually random and unneeded. **

**Four chapters down!**


	5. The Boundaries of Earth and Sky

_**January, 2012**_

**A/N: Had a victory apple dessert crepe between chapters. :D I even made my own whipped cream! (Look at me, I'm a sophisticated lady. c: )**

**Here's your next chapter, edited and ready to go.**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 5 - A Boundary of Earth and Sky_

"So, you're finally back," Tidus greeted with a smile. "We missed ya, pal!"

"Yeah, so did I." His words were mildly distant as eyes wandered in the hall. He was looking for a certain teenager that morning. Wait, why? Before he could think about it, he was snapped back into the conversation as Selphie poked his shoulder.

"So, just how sick were you? We haven't seen you since lunch last Thursday!"

"Selphie, I've felt fine since Saturday." _Oh yes, __**real **__fine... wait, __**what? **_"There's just been a whole weekend since."

"That's true..."

"Oh, by the way Sora, we get another Biology project today..." Tidus said, a smirk forming on his mouth.

"Aw, come on!" Sora stomped his foot in anger while the others laughed at him.

"Ya, it was definitely boring without him," Wakka said between chuckles.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Boundary of Earth and Sky**_

* * *

Lunch proved to be livelier than usual. Monday's lunch that week was spaghetti, which was just string-like noodles swimming in red sauce. On the side was a bowl of lettuce (otherwise known as salad) a piece of overly-toasted bread, and a chocolate brownie.

Wakka, who carried a tray that balanced this meal, groaned as he sat down. "Spaghetti day is the worst..."

"Actually, pizza day is the worst," Kairi replied, pointing at the redhead with her plastic fork.

"How is that the _worst?" _Tidus intervened. "I love pizza day! Like that song!"

"What song?" Selphie asked, clueless.

"You know, the one by The Aquabats! It goes like this..."

He took in a huge breath to sing, but before he produced any sound Kairi quickly cut in, "No, pizza day is the worst because the lunch lines get extremely long for overly greasy pizza. Besides, I was mentioning the _day, _not the food."

"Well, even so—uh, Sora, what are you doing?" Everyone's attention turned to the mentioned boy. He had his white fork gripped firmly in his fist, as if he were attempting to stab with it in his hand.

"My salad won't stay on my fork," he said, teeth gritted. "I'm showing it who's boss."

"Okay..."

"Here, Sora, let me see it," Wakka said, holding out a hand that was ready to receive.

"My salad?" He set the bowl in the redhead's palm.

"No! The fork!" Wakka put the salad down rashly and took the fork Sora handed him. With a firm _snap _the fork became two halves. Then there was only one half as Wakka tossed the pronged end somewhere else. He then handed the handle to Sora. "Here you go, safe for you to use."

"What the hell am I gonna do with a spoon, knife, and handle?"

"You're right." Smiling, Kairi stole the knife and attempted to break it in half like Wakka, but it only bent backwards. Eventually she gave up and threw it behind her, hearing someone curse loudly less than a second afterwards.

"Okay, a spoon and handle. How do I eat spaghetti with a _spoon?"_

"Good luck." The table became full of laughter from everyone but the victim, who was fuming.

"Gee, thanks guys..." Sora rose from his chair to retrieve more plasticware.

"Hey, is it just me, or is he really moody today?" Selphie asked. "He would usually be laughing with us."

Tidus replied with a grin, "Maybe he's having moodswings... and he's secretly a girl."

It only took a second before Kairi was in stitches from giggling.

"Uh, Kairi, are you okay?"

"Give me a- heeheehee- sec..."

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Boundary of Earth and Sky**_

* * *

Entering the locker room, Sora set down his bag of books by one of the benches and began to strip himself, starting with his red t-shirt. It was practically ripped off his back and was replaced by a plain gray shirt. Next he unbuttoned his blue jeans and reached for the zipper...

When his pants were replaced with black shorts, he whistled an unknown tune down the hallway, approaching the stairway. It only took four steps before he found himself falling towards the first half of the flight, but was oddly relieved to land into a pair of arms. In an awkward position, head and chest against the unknown abdomen and hands well past knees, he hesitated as he was pulled back onto his feet.

"Clocked in the head with a volleyball, tripping down some stairs... you're not very coordinated, are you?" He blushed when the voice became recognized. _Riku..._

"No, I guess not..." he murmured quietly as his face's redness intensified. He had his head down and eyes on the floor, hoping Riku couldn't see his blushing.

"What? I was only kidding…" Riku leaned over a little to look into Sora's face, and when Sora lifted his eyes to meet his, Riku's confused look turned into one of surprise."Uh, a—"

"Come on, we're gonna be late!" Escaping as fast as he could, he descended down the stairs quickly. He jumped the last few stairs and almost tripped again, scurrying away as fast as he could into the gym doors.

It wasn't really that he had any fear of being tardy—the teacher didn't usually notice. It was the moment they looked at each other that suddenly sparked memories of Saturday night. An intense feeling of fear swept over Sora as he suddenly thought, _Will he find out that _I'm_ Dora?_

They were playing volleyball again, much to his dismay due to his newly developed phobia of the white projectiles. He was trying to avoid contact with the thing as much as possible.

"Sora! Go for the ball!" One of the jocks crossed his arms and shook his head. Meanwhile, Sora was chuckling nervously. Riku watched with some amusement, that was, until he saw the serve coming. Sora tried his best to ignore the fear he felt in his gut and tried his best to bump it. Sadly, he got a little carried away, and it flew way out of bounds. The previously mentioned jock sighed again.

"You'll get it next time—don't be so nervous," Riku offered to Sora. Sora looked at him with an initial look of surprise. Then a grin spread across his face, and he nodded towards Riku. That smile... who did it remind Riku of? All he could think was that it made his heart beat ten times faster than it should have.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Boundary of Earth and Sky**_

* * *

That night, Sora was kept busy with scrubbing dishes and shoving them into a dishwasher. But when he noticed something strange he paused, the plate in his hand gently falling back into the sink. Usually he could hear Cloud's CD player from the upstairs. Only a soft hum, but even still, it was there. The house felt empty without it. _Oh, right. He went to the movies..._

Footsteps approached the kitchen, and he quickly picked the plate back up and started to wash once more. They were suddenly gone, but Sora feared stopping to look where they had paused. He could almost predict what was coming, but tried his best to control the shaking in his body. "I hope that you were good this weekend," the all-too familiar voice rang.

There was an awkward pause. Deciding his father wanted a reply, he said, "Yes, I was good."

"I trust you were." The pats of feet started once more, and a sudden slap shook Sora awake. "But I'd appreciate if you looked at me when I address you." Expecting another hit, he winced, but was surprised when the mass of evil walked away. He sighed inwardly and finished his work, ready to go upstairs and begin his schoolwork.

His eyes traveled lazily across the papers that lay scattered on his bed. He couldn't think straight... his thoughts kept drifting away into something else. _"I wonder if Riku thinks I'm really an idiot... no! What's the disease for an extra X chromosome in a guy? ...it would be funny if Riku suddenly grew breasts, he sorta looks like a girl-"_

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?" he shouted, burying his face into his binder. After a few seconds of silent pouting, he brought his head up and his eyes focused on the first page he saw. It was a Health paper he hadn't seen. When he began to read it, he forgot all about his weird Riku daydreams...

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Boundary of Earth and Sky**_

* * *

"Damn you, projects!" Sora slammed his fist into the locker on the not-so-sunny Tuesday morning. No one else stirred; they were used to Sora's temper tantrums. "I still didn't finish that one for Biology, and now we're getting a frickin' _Health _project!"

"Sora, are you _sure _you're not bipolar?" Kairi began to question.

"It's just because he hates projects," Tidus asked. "Besides, I thought we decided on that he was a girl." Kairi had to clasp her mouth with a hand to keep from bursting while Sora froze in place, neck turning slowly. He resembled a demon as he twisted his head around.

"Maybe it would have been wise not to say that in front of him..." Selphie carefully spoke.

"Tidus?" Wakka started forewarningly.

"Should I start running?"

"Ya, you should have started running five seconds ago, man..." At those words, Tidus sped away, Sora not too far behind. There was an unheard shout from a teacher as both boys kept running.

Meanwhile, Cloud had the pleasure of watching his brother look like a total idiot from the side of the hall. He couldn't help chuckling. "What are you laughing at?" Leon walked up to him, iPod in hand and headphones still in his ears.

"My brother..." he sighed, finishing in light laughter."I hope he doesn't meet up with the hall monitors, or he may actually run himself right into trouble."

"Sometimes the only thing that confirms in my mind that you two are brothers is the hair..."

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Boundary of Earth and Sky**_

* * *

Back to fourth period already. Half of the time, he didn't mind his fourth period because that meant gym. However, every other day instead of gym they had Health. And unfortunately, that meant projects.

Knowing his fate was decided soon, he laid his head on the desk and attempted to sleep. He didn't want to think about the stupid project. They were pointless. Couldn't he just have hours of bookwork instead? It would take him just as long and would take less creativity...

"And for your smoking projects, I preselected your partners." The class—including Sora—groaned. Several students even attempted to persuade the teacher to let them choose instead. "No, what I have decided is final... _Shut-up! I'm not changing it!" _There was a dead silence. "Okay, then. Derek, you're with Zachary. Alex and Kelsey, Allison and Kaitlyn, Riku and Samantha... no, that can't be right... ah! Riku and _Sora, _Kirsten and Samantha..."

Sora froze inside. _Riku? _With a sudden change of heart, he tried to hide the smile that he felt. Riku was quiet, but somewhat easily approachable. It was just going to be quite a feat to keep himself from being embarrassed.

"You and your partner may begin, but you're going to have to work outside of class to complete it." The sounds of chatter and screeching chairs competed with the teacher's voice. "Use this time to brainstorm!"

Sora turned around and looked at Riku. Riku stared and motioned him over with the nod of his head. Feeling the blood starting to rise in his face, he scurried over to the empty chair beside his partner. "Okay, so, where should we begin?"

"Well, we have to get our topic first." It took a moment for Sora to understand what Riku meant, but it suddenly clicked when a piece of paper was laid down in front of them. Riku picked it up and sighed before reading it to Sora. "Advertising."

"That should be easy, shouldn't it?" Sora pointed out. "At least we don't have to look up diseases..."

Riku was silent and only stared at Sora. It was almost like there was a boundary separating the two, but why? Was Riku that anti-social that he couldn't even talk to his partner? Or maybe something was on his mind. "Did you want to come over to my house to work on the project?" Riku finally spoke, eyes darting away.

"What? O-oh... I guess... when—"

"Tomorrow." The answer almost came too immediately and startled Sora.

"I'll see what I can do." His brother could take him over, seeing as he couldn't remember Cloud having made any plans. The only obstacle he could think of was trying to sneak past his father. He couldn't get in too much trouble for doing schoolwork, right? On the other hand, he would probably miss dinner… oh well…

"All right. Be at my house after school then. We'll just have to be done by five-thirty." While Sora had no problem with this deadline, he had to wonder why Riku was so strict about it. Maybe he was just busy or something.

If only Sora could see the things Riku was thinking.

* * *

_**January, 2012**_

**A/N: The lunch scene from this chapter originated from some random AU Pokémon fic I sounded ages ago. I thought it'd be funny to insert it, but here it's just kind of misplaced and random. Actually, probably 80% of this chapter is filler. DAMN YOU RANDOM FILLER WRITTEN BY MYSELF.**

**As a reminder, you can find some fan art on my profile. Mine probably being the worst, except for a new one! Bleagh. **

**Kay bye!**


	6. A Sanctuary Beyond the World

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: I kept the disclaimer poem because it amuses me. Otherwise, onwards.**

**Disclaimer  
****Genki doesn't have the rights to claim  
She's only bought and played the games  
This fanfiction piece is shonen-ai too  
RikuSora, CloudLeon and Sora abuse  
This is weird  
Fanfic starts here xD**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 6 - A Sanctuary Beyond the World_

"Yeah, that'll be fine," Cloud said with a mouthful of chips. He gulped before he continued, "I don't have anything planned, so let me know when you want me to pick you up."

"Riku said that I can't stay any longer than five-thirty," Sora answered.

"Hmm... wonder why that is."

"Probably other plans... or else he just doesn't want me there."

"Why would you say that?"

"He just isn't social."

"Like Leon?"

"Like who?"

"Uh, nobody." Cloud startled himself. Why had he said that? No, he was just making a comparison...

Sora was about to call his brother a liar, but decided to not press the issue and continued on. "I hate projects."

"I think the rest of the world knows that, Sora. You only say it every day."

"They're stupid and pointless! You're supposed to learn from them, but I'm so busy trying to make it pathetically interesting that I forget any of the factual part of the presentation! I remember that in Biology that we had to a project on genes and the only thing I recall is that conjoined twins can even be joined at the-"

"Okay, I get the point, Sora!" Cloud's cheeks were blushed with the slightest hint of pink.

"What? I was gonna say head..."

"Don't look at me like that."

"Well, anyway, did you want a ride to Riku's tomorrow, or were you gonna go home with him?" Sora just gave Cloud a silent stare. Hm, he'd forgotten to ask that. "You don't know do you?..." Sora shook his head. "Why don't you call him?" Silence. "You don't have his _number? _You don't even have an address, do you?" Longer silence. "This is pathetic."

"I didn't want to ask! He seemed nervous about even letting me over in the first place."

"Why would he offer if he wouldn't even give you contact information?"

"I think he just forgot or something. Look, I'll ask him tomorrow for his address and you can just drive me there."

"If you forget, I can't predict where his house is, so remember to ask."

"Will do. Thanks, Cloud!" With a parting smile, Sora ran out of the room, grabbing a can of dusting spray along the way.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Sanctuary Beyond the World**_

* * *

Cloud had kept his word and drove his younger brother to the house the next afternoon. It was way in the boondocks. (_Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, _Sora thought.) It wasn't far from Sora and Cloud's development, but it just in the middle of nature instead of people.

The house itself was a modestly small house, with only one complete floor (but Sora took a guess it had at least a basement). It was constructed with red brick and it was surrounded by sleeping flowers. The clean, cold autumn air filled Sora's lungs as he walked to the door with his hands in his sweatshirt's pockets for warmth. It wasn't any longer than ten seconds between the time Sora rang the doorbell and Riku answered its call.

"Come in," he said, leading Sora in. The newly arrived guest walked in, taking in the new environment quietly.

It was so much different from his house. Sora's family had expensive merchandise in spacious rooms. Riku's living room was about the size of Cloud's bedroom (which was actually bigger than a normal bedroom.) Not to say Sora didn't like it: it only produced more questions about the boy who resided in the house.

"So, where should we start?" The question brought Sora back to reality as he looked at his partner and only shrugged. "Well, let's get online and see what we can find."

"That sounds good... er, where's the computer?"

"This way." Sora was led into a smaller room, which had a small loveseat (which suffered somewhat from age), a miniature television set, a few shelves full of books and DVDs, and a computer sitting on a desk. Riku sat down in the seat in front of the keyboard and swiped the mouse across its pad to wake it from its sleep. Sora stood beside Riku, who looked at him and said, "Hey, you can pull up a chair."

Sora blushed as he looked around the room. "U-uh... from where?"

"Just one from out in the kitchen or something."

"O-okay..." Sora walked out into the living room and went into the kitchen, picking up a chair and carrying it back to the small room. He softly set it by Riku's side and sat in it. "Find anything?"

"Nope, still loading."

"Oh, right."

There were a few minutes of awkward silence. Riku had begun to master his own computer, typing away on searches and finding the information. Meanwhile, Sora felt somewhat worthless, sitting there silently.

Out of the corner of his eye, Riku saw Sora's nervousness and scooted his chair back roughly on the carpet. "Hey, if you look for some images, I'll go get some supplies. All right with you?"

"Y-yeah, that's fine." Riku left him alone. Sitting in Riku's chair (which had already become warm from the occupant before him) Sora began to search. But his mind began to daydream of other things as he worked. Riku seemed like he was more willing to talk today, which was good. In fact, there was mixed feelings of relief and happiness that he was over at Riku's house. Why? Not particularly sure. Which scared him in some way, but it didn't bother him all too much... not yet, anyway.

When Riku came back, he had a box tucked under one arm, and a plate of cookies in the other hand. He was about to announce his presence, but decided to take a moment to observe Sora. His expression when he was concentrating was compelling. In fact, Riku found him just interesting all together. There was just something about him... but he couldn't put his finger on it. He then said, "Hey, you hungry?" catching Sora's attention. "I brought some cookies if you want one. Did you find any pictures?"

"Yeah, a few. Which ones did you want to use?" He showed a few tobacco advertisements to Riku, who printed them. After dealing with the text and printing that as well, all they had left was to put a poster together. Sora was subconsciously munching on his cookie slowly. He had already eaten several as Riku kept handing him more after he'd finished each one. Grabbing a pair of yellow-handled scissors after consuming his fifth cookie, he began to cut a blurb of text. Riku stopped gluing to take another look at him. He couldn't think of why... all he knew was that he could stare at that face for a while. It was soft, almost like a female face…

Sora felt eyes on him and peered up at Riku. He saw those green eyes again and couldn't stand to look at them for longer than a second. But Riku on the other hand couldn't get enough of Sora's blue eyes. The color painted a memory he could not remember for the life of him. But all memories aside... "Hey, Sora. You've got something on your face."

"What?" He tried to wipe it away, but the small smear was still there.

"It looks like chocolate... here, let me get it." He tucked his index finger under Sora's chin and gently wiped the chocolate away with his thumb. The feeling of Riku's hand made him nervous and even blush. "There, all gone."

"Th-thanks..." His stutter was so familiar. _Why couldn't he remember?_

Sora buried his head down into the poster. Why was Riku suddenly being so kind? It was just like that night, at Leon's party.

_**Speaking of Leon...**_

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Sanctuary Beyond the World**_

* * *

Cloud pulled into the driveway and walked to the door. Before he could make his appearance apparent, Leon was already pulling it open and letting in his guest. "My parents aren't home again. You want to go up to my room?" Cloud agreed without a word, and they both went upstairs to the bedroom.

Leon's computer was playing quiet soft pop, something Cloud wouldn't expect. He looked at the bed: the red sheets were still there. It made the blood rise to his face on the spot. "I have to be leaving by five-fifteen at the latest," he informed Leon, trying to forget the previous bed fiasco. "Sora needs picked up by five-thirty."

"No big deal. That gives us two hours." Leon grabbed a can of Pepsi and began to drink from it. "Hey, you want one?"

"What?"

"A soda, stupid." Without a real answer, he threw a second can at Cloud, who nearly dropped it.

"Why do you have sodas in your room, anyway?"

"It's in my stash," he answered. He saw Cloud beginning to pull the tab of the top and said, "Hey, maybe you'd better—" but a hissing sound cut him off. Cloud was shouting obscenities and attempting to drink the foaming liquid as he ran for the bathroom. When Cloud came back, he appeared distressed and had stains all around his blue plaid shirt and jeans. "Dude, chill, it was..." But Leon covered his mouth without finishing his sentence. Cloud rose a brow. "Just a... soda..." There was an awkward pause, but it was broken as a laugh rang loudly.

"What's so funny?"

"Your face... you should've seen it! "

"My face?" He was about to say something, but he realized that he never had actually heard Leon's laugh before. It was strange hearing it... It actually sounded quite normal. Leon's laugh made him snicker too. Before they knew it, they were laughing together.

When the noise subsided, Cloud could tell Leon was fighting the smirk off his face. "You're such an idiot, Cloud. Not as much as your brother, but you're definitely related to him."

"And what's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Simply what it sounds like." He began to approach Cloud, who was getting more timid with each step. "Hm."

"Wha-what?"

"But somehow, your idiocy is..."

"...not much?"

"No. _Attractive." _It came quicker than Cloud could react. Two hands gripped his shoulders while two lips caught his own. When he went to pull away, Leon only moved in more, but was pushed away by Cloud forcefully.

"Wh-what... what the hell was that?" Did it really even happen? What was Leon thinking? What was _Cloud _thinking? "Why did you k-kiss me?"

"Why do you think?"

"I don't know... that's why I asked..."

"Cloud." He took a step closer, but Cloud didn't budge. "Like I said," Another step. One more to go... "your idiocy is attractive." He grabbed Cloud with force and began to passionately kiss him, tugging him towards the bed in a strange, staggered dance.

Cloud did not resist; in fact, he fell into temptation and was dragged to the bedside. His body was slammed into the covers he had taken shelter in just a few days ago. A tongue slid through Cloud's loosely closed lips, freely sliding around Cloud's mouth. Hot hands moved along his body, heightening his senses with each touch. He moaned in ecstasy, and soon there was almost no hope of gaining back his right mind, but as hands began to slide beyond his waistline, fear snapped him back... somewhat.

He tucked his head back enough to break the kiss so he could speak. "No, wait, Leon... this isn't... right..." His voice was tensely quiet. Completely ignoring his pleas, Leon began to unbutton Cloud's stained shirt and kissed his bare skin, starting with the neck and moving slowly down to his collarbone. Cloud's body screamed for more, but his conscious begged him otherwise. "Leon... please... don't... s-stop..."

"Don't stop?" He had his shirt completely open and began to explore the exposed area with his hands.

"N-no... Mmm... Leon..." This was completely wrong... he couldn't, not yet. "We can't do this..."

"Shut-up." He brought his head up and began to kiss Cloud, over and over again. He was on the edge of completely subduing himself, but finally gathered enough sense to begin pushing Leon back. Unfortunately his strength did not surpass his and could only struggle to stop Leon's entrancing touch.

"Leon, I can't do this..." He panted for breath, and he almost thought his heart was going to burst. "And we haven't even really known each other for a week, anyway..."

"I've been watching you for longer than you know, Cloud." Cloud was definitely strong, but not strong enough. Leon broke through his grip and found his own, both hands grabbing Cloud's wrists and holding his hands behind his neck. "And I know that I want you."

"N-now... hold on a sec!..." Cloud closed his eyes. _Make it stop... make it stop..._

"But it's not worth it if you're going to fight me the whole time." Cloud blinked his eyes open and stared at Leon. "I'm willing to wait until _you're _willing." He let go of Cloud and rose from where he was. As he began to find where he was again, he realized that Leon's face was flushed and sweaty, probably just like his.

Then he held out the same hand that he had been groping Cloud with a few moments ago."You still have about an hour left. You can get a shower and borrow some clothes if you'd like. You know, to get yourself a little more decent looking..." He averted his eyes away. Cloud thought this was strange... first Leon was jumping all over him, and now he wasn't even looking at him? But he thought, might as well accept that shower... if Leon looked like that, God help him. Nodding silently, he took Leon's offering hand and stood up. Then he headed for bathroom, remembering where it was from the previous visit. He began to search the cabinets for towels when he looked at himself in the mirror.

His hair was in such disarray that it was hard to tell if he had been making out or got rubbed with a balloon. His face was flushed, and sweat was slick on his face. His shirt was sloppily stained with Pepsi down the front, while his chest was slick with perspiration. His jeans had been the only thing to make it out the same from when he first walked through the door.

Looking away from the reflection, he dug into the cabinet underneath him and found a towel. He lazily dropped it by the bathtub and began to take his clothes off in the privacy of the bathroom. He hopped in the shower and turned on the water, trying to figure out how to put the shower on next. He decided to try pulling up the small metal pull on the front of the faucet, but he yelped when cold water smacked his body. It was _too _cold... but it was quickly warming as he stood in the shower. Even as it became near scalding hot, his body still shivered with a guilty conscious.

It wasn't that Cloud minded having a relationship with another guy... he had already known for some time that he was bisexual. But it was so sudden. Sure, Leon and Cloud had known for each other for a long while (they'd had classes together) but they had only begun to hang out since that previous weekend. But maybe Leon had liked him all this time?

His eyes became half-closed as he delved into deeper questions. Would Leon have taken him if he had not resisted? What would Sora think if he found out? Would he lose trust in his brother? And what would their _father _say? Not wanting to ponder on it anymore, he began to untangle his wet hair with his fingers and closed his eyes to shut out the rest of the world beyond his watery sanctuary.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Sanctuary Beyond the World**_

* * *

"There. We're done." Riku leaned back to evaluate the finished product. It wasn't neat and perfect—the glue was easily seen through the wet paper, and there were careless marker streaks here and there. Luckily, neither boy cared.

"Yeah... thank god. And look, it's only 4:45. We still got 45 minutes left." An awkward silence entered. "Err... this is awkward."

"No kidding." Riku smiled uncomfortably. Obviously at a loss of words. He looked anywhere but Sora now. What was up with him? "Um... w-why don't we do something to pass the time?"

"Like what?" Sora had no idea what to do. How could it be _this _hard to interact with Riku?

"Uhh... spit?" Riku's lips pressed into a thin line as he looked at Sora.

"_Excuse _me?"

"Spit."

"That's... kinda gross... for forty-five minutes?"

"The card game!"

"Do I have to spit—"

"No, that's disgusting. I'll teach you how, hold on." Sora remained on the floor by the completed poster while Riku rose and grabbed a deck of cards from one of the shelves. He sat down in front of Sora and removed the cards from their sleeve. Without warning, he flung cards into Sora's lap and in front of himself, alternatively between each card. "We split the deck completely in half..." he mumbled, seeming to be talking to himself more than Sora.

When he was finally done (and Sora was scooted back to avoid the flying cards) he began to pile his into his left hand and used his right to grab the cards one-by-one, counting as he laid them into a new pile on the floor. "Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven. I already took the jokers out, so you should have twenty-seven as well."

Sora, who had only been watching Riku, blushed. "Sorry! Let me count real quick..." He counted them from his left hand to his right instead of laying them like Riku. He counted twenty-seven.

"Perfect. Now, shuffle 'em." Riku split his own little deck into two halves and holding each in a hand and face down close to the floor, he pressed his thumbs to the edge, making the corners mix. Sora knew this popular shuffling method quite well, in fact he was doing the same thing without barely looking—but he was surprised when Riku only pushed the two halves together no more than half an inch in, pressed his thumbs on top of the area where all the cards overlapped, and used his hands to bend the deck upwards and make the cards fall together.

"How did you do that?"

"Do... what?" He shuffled them in the same manner, this time peering up at Sora.

"_That!"_

"Backwards shuffling?"

"Yeah!"

"I dunno..." He shrugged and picked the entire deck up, this time using his right arm to flick them up in his palm and back into the deck in a quick and casual manner.

"And that!"

"...I dunno..." He had to try to stifle his laugh as Sora attempted to copy his card tricks. It was unsuccessful, because Sora glanced back up at Riku with a desperate look on his face.

"You make it look so easy!"

"I get bored and play lots of Solitaire. I guess that's why..." Satisfied, he began to set down cards, flipping the first one to reveal a king of spades, and laid four more face down in a line to its left. He laid another face-up card (an eight of hearts) on the first face down card, and laid three facedown cards on the three remaining cards. He repeated this until all five piles had a face-up card on top. Sora did the same (but not without asking Riku how in five different forms.)

Within ten minutes, the boys had an exciting game going. Without any surprise, Riku was dominating the game with the least amount of cards. Sora had easily learned to play with one hand, but they both became wild in the game play, as cards flew off their piles and ends of the cards bending.

"No! That wasn't fair! I was gonna lay down my Ace!"

"Too bad, sucker!" Riku's speeding hand finally slowed. He realized Sora was stuck—he couldn't lay any cards down. Tauntingly, he picked up and laid cards down in slow motion.

"Yeah, yeah... come on, you know you're just delaying your loss." In reality, Sora was annoyed. He was already losing, he didn't have to rub it in!

"Hmm... three... four... three... two... ace..."

"KING!" Sora slammed the card down on the ace of spades.

"What? Since when did you have a King?"

"Since I was flipping cards up while you were being a turtle!" The game became chaos again as cards flew.

"SPIT!" They both smacked down a new card on the middle decks and engaged in a speedy end. Sora laid his last card and attempted to slap the smaller deck, only to find Riku's hand smacking his—_hard. _He yelped loudly, a stinging sensation coming over his knuckle and the back of his right hand.

"Oh, sorry, Sora!" Riku's hand recoiled in response. His own palm was tingling. "That didn't hurt too much, did it?"

"N-no..." He rubbed his right hand his left, the pain leaving fairly quickly. "It's all right, all better." He smirked as he picked up the deck he and Riku had fought for. "But I get the deck—I still smacked it first."

"Yeah, yeah..." His worried expression quickly melted into a concentrated frown again. "You're still gonna lose."

"I'm not that far behind anymore!"

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Sanctuary Beyond the World**_

* * *

"Face it, Sora. The score's three to zero. You'll never beat me."

"W-well... I'll win the fourth game!"

"Sure, when you're _dreaming." _He grabbed the cards scattered in front of Sora and put them back into the sleeve and put it back where he had gotten it a half an hour ago. "Hey, shouldn't your brother be coming soon?"

"Yeah. I think that maybe—" but a weird gurgling feeling in Sora's stomach interrupted him. It was loud enough for Riku to hear. "Guess it's time for dinner?"

Sora was then reminded of what he _should _have been doing. _Dad's going to be so mad when he finds out I didn't make dinner! God, I've been messing up lately…_More thoughts kept running through his head. What was he gonna do? He hadn't done _anything... _not even cleaning...

"Sora?... You okay?" He looked up at Riku, who was observing him with concern. "Did you hear me?"

"Wha... what?"

"You're shaking. You okay?"

"H-huh? N- yeah, I'm just a bit cold," he lied.

"You... are?" He looked surprised.

"Uh-huh."

"But—"

"Hey, there's Cloud!" Sora cut him off and pointed out the window. Riku looked at the silver car sitting on the street as Sora grabbed his sweatshirt. "Gotta go... see ya in school tomorrow!" He waved and ran out of the house quicker than Riku had a chance to reply.

When Sora jumped in the car and shut the door, he gave Cloud a quick glance. "Hi Cloud!— wait a second."

"What?"

"Weren't you wearing a blue shirt before? You don't even _have _a Hang Me on Tuesdayshirt. And is your hair—"

"I spilt soda on me, so Leon gave me a shirt." _Not a complete lie, _Cloud thought.

"But, why is your hair wet?"

"Long story."

"...right."

* * *

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: You know, if you've been enjoying this, you could do me a favor and review. Even **_**better**_**, go to my profile and check out my newer, MUCH BETTER WRITTEN stuff. Just a suggestion though. c: **

**Fun fact: This is page 43 out of 145. That means you're over a fourth of the way! Congrats!**


	7. Stupid People, Stupid Things

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: The original chapter upload date must have been mid-March of 2006, because I was all giddy about Kingdom Hearts II. Man, what nostalgia. That being said, enjoy this. I think this is possibly one of the most embarrassing chapters I wrote. You'll… you'll see. Just laugh and move on. (face palm)**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 7 - Stupid People, Stupid Things_

Now the house feeling empty again, Riku sat on the ratty loveseat. That stupid question was gonna bug him all day. How could Sora have _possibly _been cold? The house was like a frickin' furnace! And even more suspiciously, his shaking had become sudden... he had seen it! It wasn't anything he did, was it? All he had done was laugh...

Riku groaned outloud as he heard a car pulling in the driveway. He knew quite well that his parents weren't coming back for some time: they had just left on a business trip a few days back. The teenager had enjoyed his past few days in solitude, but now he knew it was all over. He was relieved Cloud had come a few minutes earlier—his temporary guardian had an early arrival as well.

Knowing full-well he was going to have to face that bastard _sometime, _he took it like a man, his ass remaining planted on the couch and eyes searching for the remote. As he found the remote on the floor tucked halfway under the couch the door swung open.

"Riiiiiiku!" The voice chimed in a rather annoying tone, making the addressed teen cringe. "I'm baaaaaaaaaack!"

"Shut the hell up!" Without thinking, he stood up and walked out in the living room. He jumped in startlement when two arms gripped him tightly, giving no room for escape... or air in Riku's lungs.

"Riiiiku!" the man squealed once more, squeezing the younger boy even tighter.

"Gah... Sephi... roth..." he managed to voice. "You're freaking... _killing me." _but his grip kept its strong hold. Riku swore that he was going to be murdered if Sephiroth hugged him much longer.

"I missed you, brother!" If it was possible, Riku would have cringed. "How long has it been since I last saw you?"

"You flew in this summer to visit, remember?"

"Oh, but it seems much longer!" One more squeeze... Riku began to see stars. "Have you grown, wittle bruddah?"

"I.." He didn't managed to finish his sentence, he was too busy gasping for air. As if God decided to spare him, Riku found himself falling unto the floor. He wondered how much longer he was going to be like this...

"Anyway." The elder brother cleared his throat, suddenly changing moods. "How have you been?"

"Are you finished being an idiot?"

"Quite. I hate being serious all the time, you know that."

"Yeah, well, I was fine until you attempted to kill me."

"It would have been an accident, I assure you."

"Seriously, are you sure you're not bipolar?" Sephiroth only shrugged. "Okay, then. I'm gonna go grab myself some food." He began to walk towards the kitchen, limping slightly.

"You want to go out?"

Riku turned around. If his eyes could shoot lasers, Sephiroth would have been the equivalent of a fish stick. Although Riku had a remarkably cool nature most of the time, his older brother _really _knew how to push all of the wrong buttons…

"...what's that look for?"

"You don't just go out to see a movie or shopping, you go out to get _screwed_. So I'm going to turn down your offer."

"You're a sore sport now, but if you would just get laid _once _by a man, then you'd think differently."

"Who said I was gay?"

"You're my brother, plus you look like a girl, equals you gotta like boys."

"You suck with equations. No wonder you failed math."

"You don't find any allure in men?"

Riku rose a silver brow. "No."

"You will one day, Riku, you'll see. There will be a pretty boy that catches your eye... and you'll see." The image of Sora popped into Riku's head suddenly, but he dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. "But in any matter, let's have some brother bonding time. Just the two of us, promise."

"The last time you made a promise, you promised to take me with you to _Harry Potter. _You made out with another guy, and I couldn't tell if the kids were screaming about the dementors or you."

"The demen-_- what?"_

"Exactly." He shook his head as he opened the fridge door. "...oh no."

"What?"

"There's no soda." He closed it again. "I must have had the last can yesterday. What am I gonna drink now?"

"Water would be ideal, and good for you too."

"If I don't have a soda, I'm gonna have a headache."

"Are you addicted to soda?" Sephiroth crossed his arms and leaned against the kitchen counter.

Riku shot him a look bred between oddity and stupidity. "How the hell do you get addicted to soda? It doesn't have any alcohol."

"Not the actual soda—the caffeine, brother. Caffeine is a drug."

"When did you get so smart?" He pulled out a pitcher of lemonade and began to pour himself a glass.

"I've always been smart. You've always been too dumb to see it."

"And I guess that's why you barely passed school?"

"It's more wisdom than remembering what a quadratic equation, my dear brother."

"Wisdom." Riku chuckled with sarcasm. "That's new." Without another word, he walked out of the room with the glass and sat in front of his computer. He knew Sephiroth was going to follow him, and there were few things that could drive the pest away.

But he _did _have one thing at the moment...

He sniggered as Sephiroth walked in. Surprised, the older brother rose a brow. "Why are you laughing?"

"Oh, nothing..." Riku tried to suppress his laughing as he flipped up the music player on the computer. He scrolled down about halfway through his playlist and clicked on a upbeat country song. As soon as the fiddles began, he could see Sephiroth jump a few good inches in the air.

"Dear God, Riku! How can you listen to this crap?" It must be working. Riku turned up the volume. "RIKU! THIS IS DEATH TO MY EARS!" Louder... "AUGH!" He was gone.

Smiling in his victory, he turned the music back down. "Thank _you,_ wonderful country music."He went back to his beloved Heartkey.

The internet was a universe away from his own world. Here, he could go anywhere he wanted, be anybody he wanted to be.

It wasn't that Riku was depressed. Okay, maybe it _was. _He still couldn't get his mind off Dora. He sat back for a moment, and wondered where she was now. Probably at home, considering the sun was almost down past the horizon. Even still, how was she? Did she still think about him?

Then he thought about Sora to drive the thought out. How long had it been since he'd had a friend? Maybe if things kept going this way, they could become good friends. _Best _friends, even. Something he hadn't had in a long time. He was still broken up after what happened between him and—

No. He wouldn't think about it.

He was about to continue his adventure of endless possibilities when exhaustion gripped him. He yawned so wide it brought tears to his eyes, and with that he decided he should go to bed. He closed the windows and dragged himself towards his bedroom. He was so sleepy that he didn't even want to go to the bathroom at all, not even to brush his teeth.

Hmph. Who really cared? One skipped night (or two, or three...) wouldn't give him any cavities.

Crawling into his bed sleepily, he didn't bother to turn out his light. The clock flashed 6:21, but he paid no attention to time.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - Stupid People, Stupid Things**_

* * *

Riku found himself waking up to complete darkness with a nauseous stomach. He peered over at the clock. 4:03. Oh god.

He rolled himself over on his other side. Wait, hadn't he fallen asleep with the light on? Sephiroth must have turned it off. He rolled a little more until he lay partially on his stomach. The feeling of nausea got worse. Flipping on his back, the ill feeling in his stomach was still there.

"_This can't be happening. I'm trying to sleep..." _It got even worse. Feeling as if he were going to heave, he got up and clumsily walked towards the bathroom. He sat down on the tile floor and held his stomach as it growled angrily. Deciding to sleep in the bathroom, he laid down on the rug on the floor.

But he still felt too sick to even do that. He sat up once more.

He found himself rolling all about the bathroom trying to find a comfortable place to lay, until about a half hour later when he found the previous day's lunch coming back up.

Cursing as he hung his head over the toilet, he decided his stomach was finally done heaving his contents. His body trembled, and cold swept over him. He sat down on the floor once more before he forced himself up and back to bed. It must have been something he ate.

At 6:11, he woke up again and repeated the same thing from two hours ago. He shuddered on the bathroom floor. He heard a door open from the hallway and decided he wanted to vomit a third time as Sephiroth came in.

"Hey, you all right?"

"Yeah, I just threw up everything in my stomach again. But thanks for asking."

"Here, get yourself back to bed." He offered a hand, and Riku gladly took it. Stumbling back in, he dared not decline Sephiroth's offer. "You're definitely not going to school today."

"Hmmm... sounds like a plan." He rolled over as he shivered. Even three comforters and a bedsheet couldn't keep him warm.

He heard Sephiroth muttering to himself as he walked from the room, "That hurricane Kate is coming here, anyway, and it's supposed to rain pretty badly..."

Screw Kate. He just wanted to sleep. He heard Sephiroth come back in. "I'm going to set a bucket here for you, so you don't have to get out of bed next time."

"Thanks," he groaned.

Two hours later, he had made his bed on the couch. The DVD player was playing Heartkey, and his one favorite song was playing as his stomach emptied itself of its own acids. _"This is sweet," _he thought sarcastically, setting the bucket back down. He stopped the music with the remote just for a second to listen to the rain tap lightly on the roof. It was a comforting sound. Heartkey stay silenced as Riku fell asleep to a different, soothing melody.

* * *

_**January 2012**_**  
A/N: Sephiroth is so OOC that it's really embarrassing. I changed a lot of Riku's bad dialogue (rolls eyes). **

**That's what I got.**


	8. A Raging Storm of the Heart

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: Hurricane Kate was inspired by Hurricane Katrina, in case you didn't catch it. Otherwise… nope, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 8 - A Raging Storm of the Heart_

Sora was also listening to the rain and the distant thunder. The skies were dark enough to make it seem like evening when in reality it was only first period. His mind was distant from the classroom, staring through the window. He could spare room for a thought or two; they were just reviewing genes.

_Riku. _He felt like he was going insane. Fourth period was hours away. Could he wait that long?

No, wait, why did he care so much? Now that they were back in school, Riku would probably become withdrawn again. But even still, Sora knew that he was opening him up bit by bit. Soon he would approach him openly without hesitation. But why he was so scared to talk in the first place?

It wasn't really his place to know, but he could not help being curious.

When review sheets were handed out and people began to partner up, Tidus automatically grabbed a pencil and the unoccupied desk beside Sora. "What's bothering you?" he asked.

"What?" He looked back at his friend with curiosity.

"Something's bothering you. You're staring out the window. You only do that when you're thinking."

"I'm just wondering if me and Riku covered everything for our Health project..."

"Sora concerned about a project? This is new."

"I don't want to _fail, _Tidus! I just hate doing the work!"

"I see you hate doing the work, Mr. Strife, but I'd like to see you working on those probability problems," the teacher offered as she passed towards her desk.

Sora frowned as Tidus laughed. "I thought this was Biology, not math. I have Geometry next semester."

"This stuff is _easy, _Sora. Don't complain." Tidus began scratching answers on his own worksheet as he continued. "Somehow, I think your thoughts are elsewhere from this world..."

How come everyone could see through him so easily?

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Raging Storm of the Heart**_

* * *

Second period. Only another... (Sora did the math in his head,) three and a half more hours until he saw Riku— err, until that dreaded Health project. They would probably have to present it. Lovely.

Just as lovely as World Cultures. Luckily, though, Social Studies that year was much better than the last. Learning about the early 1900's was not his cup of tea. But communists and Buddhists? It was all right.

He had no friends in particular period, but his major problem with this hour and a half was that he was stuck with complete morons. His head hurt half the time when he left the room.

Blocking the nonsense of conversation (a football player was trying to convince their teacher that a particular movie was hilarious and two girls were discussing the "pains" of cheerleading practice) Sora brought out a novel that had, "Wild Daisies" written on the cover in elegant handwriting and began to read it. It had been some time since he had read anything remotely interesting, but the book was quite fascinating, no doubt.

* * *

_I found the situation quite complicated as I rubbed my temples, frustrated. "Don't tell me, he was sticking himself with that _damned _needle again."_

_She turned away. It didn't take words to answer the question._

"_Why? Why does he insist on shortening the life he already screwed up?" I pounded my fist on the table, ignoring the stinging feeling that it felt afterwards._

"_You know he can't help it!" Brianna had began to cry. "It's not his fault... it's mine for not stopping him!"_

"_Don't let his stupid words go to your head. You're just his scapegoat so he doesn't feel so guilty."_

"_But—"_

"_It's mine." I paused. Without warning, tears spilled down my own cheeks. The anguish of losing the man I once loved was now the monster who crawled about like a weak puppy. He used to be the man who held me and called me his lover. _

_The man who didn't care that I was also a man_

* * *

"Sora, put your book away." He blinked up from his spot, blushing as he realized class had started. Silently he slid a piece of paper in the book to mark his page and shoved it under the desk. Dammit, and it was just getting good too...

Today they were learning about landforms of Russia. Yippee.

Psssh.

The rest of the period was a bummer, but third period was somewhat energetic. Besides the fact that it was lunch (that was an hour into a period, they were third lunch), his English class was being stupid... in the funny "oh-my-word-you're-such-an-idiot" sort of way.

Oh, and he was fidgety, which Kairi did well to point out. Why wouldn't the bell just ring already? Kairi had to set her hand on top of Sora's head several times to get him to stop moving so much.

When the bell _did _ring, Sora slammed his school book shut and flew out of the classroom like a bat.

Down two flights of stairs and into the classroom (that had so much white you'd think that it was a doctor's office), Sora plopped down in his assigned seat and waited. Where was Riku? He looked around for a few minutes, but then to make it less obvious that he was looking for someone, he reopened his novel and began to read, forgetting his mission for a few minutes.

When the second bell rang, Sora gave one last quick look around, including Riku's empty seat.

_Empty. _The equivalent of Sora's heart. His mind stopped at the thought.

_Ew, no, what? I'm... just... curious about him. He's my new buddy, my new pal. ...right? I don't actually _like _him... that's creepy! And... homosexual... _He looked down at his book._ No, damn you book! It's your fault!_

"Sora? Sora!" He looked up, distracted by his novel for the second time that day. "Are you paying attention?"

"U-uh..." The class laughed.

"That's what I thought. Since Riku's not here today, you can present your project tomorrow. Kirsten and Samantha, since you guys are already prepared, you can go first today..."

Where was Riku? He wondered how many people were actually paying attention to the two girls (since project presentations were as boring as dirt) before going back to his original topic of thought. Maybe he was sick? That was the only conclusion Sora could really draw.

The day just kept getting worse by the second. He fell asleep and got the lucky prize of a short lecture, and study hall was officially silenced by the teacher when the classroom had gotten out-of-hand loud. Kairi and Sora couldn't hold a conversation even though they were sitting right beside each other.

Then when he was about to leave the school to head for the car, Cloud stopped him in the middle of a hall swarming with students and dragged him in the opposing direction of traffic.

When they were in a clear spot free of people, Cloud explained himself. "Sorry Sora, but I need to finish a test that I couldn't finish during class. You don't mind staying for a while, do you?"

"How long?" he asked.

"I dunno, maybe a half hour or so?"

"...a half hour?" Sora frowned.

"Yeah, I'm sorry... I kind of went to the nurse and slept..." He bent over and whispered in Sora's ear, "It was first period and I forgot to study, so I studied the rest of the day today."

Although he was mildly irritated at Cloud's irresponsibility, he remembered that he wasn't exactly the most dependable person himself. And besides, he loved his brother. "That explains it. I've got a book to read, anyway." _I am not gay, I am not gay… _his mind whispered.

"Okay. I'm really really sorry..."

"It's really all right," Sora reassured him. He followed Cloud to the classroom and outside with book opened in his lap.

* * *

"_Mark!" I ran as fast as I could, adrenaline driving me faster than usual. He was shivering outside the building, and even though it was one o' clock in the morning, I immediately recognized the symptom._

"_...J-Jason..." He inched away from me, but he was too weak to drive me away. And even if he had all the strength that he once had and more, he could never keep me away. I touched his face, and he looked away. Tears were already running down my face._

"_Please... come home." I was about to touch him, but I was afraid of what he'd do. I couldn't stand watching him trying to get away from me. "I can't live without you, I can't. I've tried for these past months. I've denied it a thousand and twenty-one times, but you're... you'll always be in my life. We can work this out. We can get you back to yourself." I paused, knowing that he could never be the pure heart I once trusted and loved. "Please. I'll kill myself if you leave me. Both are the same thing to me."_

_The world seemed to stop, my loud breathing the only sound in my ears. My heart jumped as he slowly turned his head to face me, his eyes dead. "You'd... take me back?"_

"_Take you back? I'm begging for you to come back!"_

_A weak smile formed on his lips, and I repeated the same. That is, until a frown replaced_

* * *

"Hey, we gotta get going." Cloud suddenly appeared by Sora, who slammed the book shut before he mentally cursed, realized he forgot to mark his place. Sora tried to hide the fact that he had begun to cry, pretending to yawn and wiped his face dry.

"Why?" he asked midway through a second yawn that followed his fake one.

"It's raining like cats and dogs. The teachers are leaving too. Come on." Sora jammed the novel into his bag and slung it onto his shoulder, following Cloud, who was walking faster than usual.

"But wouldn't you want to drive after the rain stops?"

"It's going to be raining for a while, Sora. If we don't get out now, we may not get out until tomorrow. I doubt we'll even have school tomorrow, thinking about it..."

"How bad are the roads?" he asked.

"I've heard they're getting pretty bad." They were now outside and knew that Cloud had been right. In a matter of seconds, both boys were soaked. In a sprint, they headed for the silver car, Sora bouncing about in front of the passenger door as the elder brother fumbled for the keys and unlocked the car. Sora jumped in and shivered in the seat, throwing his backpack in the backseat after he settled. Cloud also got in and repeated Sora's action, his teeth chattering quietly.

He stuck the keys in the ignition and turned on the heat. Both brothers sat in the car quietly as the heat began to start working, and their bodies ceased to shiver. About five minutes had passed before Cloud pulled out of the parking lot and was on the main roads.

"So, what do you want to do when we get back?" Sora asked. He was surprised when Cloud shushed him.

"I'm trying to drive."

"Oh, sorry. "

"It's okay. Just be quiet for a few minutes." The radio was even off. Cloud really _was _trying to concentrate. Sora listened to the sound of the rain as he had that morning, noticing it had gotten faster since.

The car suddenly slowed. Sora, who had been looking out the side window, looked forward to see why. They were approaching a narrow road, trees lining both sides, not to mention there were the deep ditches on each side of the path.

"Cloud... maybe we should turn around..." Sora offered quietly.

"I think we can go over it."

"But just in case—"

"It'll be fine."

There was a bad feeling in Sora's gut. He looked on both sides of the road, noticing a driveway on the left. "Cloud, turn around in the driveway. We really shouldn't—"

"Sora, it's _fine. _I know what I'm doing." They passed the driveway, and the bad feeling got worse.

Both saw their plight in a matter of seconds. The entire road had water flooded across. Cloud stopped the car right in front.

"This is bad." Sora squeaked. "Turn around."

"How? If I turn around, I'll drive right into the ditch on the side. We'll just have to keep going."

"No, let's not... let's leave the car here and get help or something..."

"I think we can make it." He put the car in park.

"Cloud?"

"Look, I don't think it's that deep." Pulled up the emergency brake.

"What are you doing, then?"

"Double-checking." He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car, walking closer to the water. Sora watched from inside as he re-entered. "It's fine, Sora. It's barely deep at all. Let's just keep going." Fear was slightly noticeable in his voice. He buckled his seatbelt and double-checked it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." He put the car back into drive and slowly moved forward. Sora began to fidget. "Just settle down."

He was able to keep still for a minute, but squirmed wildly as the water began to represent flat rapids. "This is _not good _Cloud. We're gonna die, we're gonna die..."

"Sora, just shut-up! You're making me nervous!" Sora closed his mouth. "It's fine. We're almost there, see?"

It was another long two minutes before they reached the end of the road. The car was at a stand-still at a stop sign before the road split both directions as Cloud tried to reason with their predicament.

"Okay, well, if that road was that bad, I can't imagine the other roads to our house." He looked at Sora. "I don't know what we're going to do. I don't think we'll make it through any more of those roads, but I don't know of anybody who would live close by here." There was an uneasy pause.

Suddenly, an idea came to Sora. He knew the left road led to their house, but the right road led in a different direction, and had a destination he'd been at only once...

"What about Riku?" he asked timidly. Cloud looked at him with newfound hope.

"That's right... he _does _live that way, doesn't he? And we were just there yesterday, too!" He chuckled with relief. "Hey, do you still have his phone number?"

"Um, I think..." Sora released himself from his seat restraint and reached in the back, backside up in the air as he fussed with his bag. He gave a grunt of victory and handed a small piece of paper to Cloud. He talked as he sat back down and fastened himself back in. "But Riku was sick today..."

"Then his parents will pick up the phone and will hopefully take us in." Pulling out a cellphone, he flipped it open and began to dial the number. Sora watched in both anticipation and hope.

"Hi, can I speak to Riku?" Pause. "Okay, well, this is his friend's brother, Cloud. Y-yes. It's raining like you wouldn't _believe... _...yes, I'm on the road now. I'm actually nearby your house and there's no way in hell—oh, excuse me, there's no way that we can make it there safely. Your house is nearby here. ...I'm on Cherry Orchid road now. I was wondering if we could stay over there until the flooding has gone down. ...that's okay? Okay, thank you so much! We'll be there in a few minutes. Yes, we'll be careful. See ya." He hung up the phone. Sora could only blink.

He was going over to Riku's house. _Again. _And not to work either. But he was probably sick... but then Sora could comfort him. If he really was sick, then certainly he needed a friend. Unless he was sleeping...

Cloud turned the car to the right road and headed back to the house.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Raging Storm of the Heart**_

* * *

Cloud parked the car outside on the side of the street. Leaving everything but themselves in the car, they hurried for the door, and Cloud rang the bell. It was a matter of seconds before a tall man answered the door. At first, Sora mistook him for Riku, but in a second he concluded him to be another family member seeing as how he was taller than Riku, his hair was longer than Riku's, and his face looked much older.

"Here, come in, come in." Something about him frightened Sora, but he let him guide them through the door. He closed the door as he spoke. "So you're Cloud." The smile on his face drove Sora's fear deeper into his heart. "And you are?" He looked at Sora, who answered timidly.

"Sora."

"Sora... hm. Well, Riku's in his room right now. If you wanted to go see him, you can, but I warn you know, he's sick."

_So he was sick, _Sora thought. "Okay, yeah. He won't get mad?"

"He's had nothing to do all day. And I don't even know if he's awake. You know where his room is, right?" Sora nodded and left the room, eager to stop talking to the freaky man.

When he entered the room, a pungent smell reached his nostrils, and immediately knew Riku got a nasty bug. He tried to leave, but a muttering from under bed sheets stopped him. "...where am I...? Dammit, Sephiroth, why did you move me?" He sat up slowly and looked straight at Sora. Two seconds passed before the thought sunk in.

"Sora? What are you doing here?" He picked up his pillow and dug his face into it, obviously embarrassed.

"Me and Cloud were trying to get home, but we couldn't, so we called the house and asked to stay. Your... um, brother said it was all right. Cloud said we may be here for a few hours until the rain stops and the roads aren't flooded." He blinked. "We're hoping that'll be before nightfall, or we may end up staying the night." There was an awkward pause in-between. "Oh, geez, I'm talking too much, aren't I?"

"No, no... you're fine." Riku gulped empty air. "I'm just feeling nauseous. I haven't been sick in a couple hours, so I'm hoping my stomach has given all that it had." Riku laid the pillow back down on the bed and his head followed there-after. "Sorry to be rude, but I don't know if I can stay awake much longer."

"Did you eat at all?" Sora asked. Riku looked at him as if he were insane.

"Sora. My stomach doesn't want anything. If I would put anything in it, it would come right back up. Why would I bother?"

"You can't stay awake without food!" he said. "Look, if you just eat a little, it'll be all right. Come on, before you go back to sleep." He approached the bed and held out a hand. Riku stared at it for a few seconds, and reluctantly took it. When he stood up, the room spun. He fell on top of Sora for support, who didn't expect it. Both boys tumbled to the floor.

The position they fell in had been very awkward. Riku's right arm was wrapped around Sora's front and his left hand held the back portion of Sora's shoulder. Sora was underneath Riku, stomach flat on the floor.

Normally, Riku would have immediately rolled off of Sora apologized profusely. But Riku was ill and could barely support himself up. Sora heard Riku panting in his ear while he strained to keep his body steady. If he had anything on his head besides hair, he would not be a happy camper.

The current situation made Sora uncomfortable and nervous. He knew full well Riku couldn't help it, but at the same time, his mind pleaded that he be freed. Wild Daisies had implanted many images in his mind, images that he oddly did not seem to mind. But now, he was living it, and felt squeamish.

Riku seemed to hear his silent prayer as he gently rolled off Sora. Sora lay on the floor for a moment before standing on his feet again to offer his hand to Riku once more. "Now that I've repaid you the favor of catching me on the staircase, shall we try once again?"

Silently, Riku took his hand and used Sora for support. Green, red, and purple spots danced in Riku's vision as they headed around for the kitchen. "I... can't see anything..." he murmured.

"That's because you're weak because of the lack of food, which is why I insist you get _something _in your stomach." When they passed the living room, Sephiroth and Cloud were talking on the couch, and both paused to watch the show of the boys making an unsteady trudge to the kitchen. They passed, and they continued to talk.

Riku sat at the table and set his head down in his arms, resting on the tabletop. Sora shuffled through several cabinets until he found a box of saltine crackers. Sora opened the fridge and looked through it. "I bet you could drink soda. Got any?"

"We're out," he grumbled, remembering yesterday.

"Okay. Hmm... then water will be okay. Where do you keep the glasses?"

"The cupboard on the right side of the fridge."

"This one?" He seemed to ask himself as he opened it. "Oh, here we go! The sink water's all right, right?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

Sora filled the glass from the tap and set several of the large crackers by Riku's left arm."Here, eat that. That should stay in your stomach."

Lifting his head, Riku groaned. "Okay..." He cringed after the first cracker, but Sora insisted that he kept going. When he mentioned another fall, Riku gave in and continued to eat. He said that he felt somewhat better afterwards, and Sora smiled.

"See? It wasn't that bad. Need help getting back?" Riku shook his head and got up from the table. A bit of newfound strength showed as he walked back slowly to the room, Sora following shortly behind.

Riku crawled back into the bed. Sora stood in the middle of the room, not sure what to do with himself. "You can sit on the bed if you want to." He patted the side and inched over slightly, and Sora sat down by him. "Sorry I wasn't at school with the poster."

"It's fine. One more day before we have to present them."

"You really hate projects, don't you?" Riku chuckled while Sora blushed.

"H-hey! How did you know that?"

"Everyone who knows who you are knows you hate them."

"Is it really that obvious?"

"...yes..."

Silence.

"Hey, Sora, I've got a question for you. It's no big deal really, I just wondered."

"What is it?"

"Do you know Kairi's friend, Dora?"

Sora's heart froze. Had he really found him out? Was he totally screwed? "I-I've met her once. But I really don't kn-know her..."

"Oh, okay. You know, it's kind of funny—your names rhyme."

"I know!" Sora forced a chuckle. Was he playing mind games, or was he oblivious? "Why did you want to know? Er—how do you even know her?"

"I met her at a party. No big deal, just thinking about her, is all." Sora blinked. "I-I mean, just because I wonder where she is now! It's not one of those 'fall in love at first sight' ordeals... oh god, I sound more stupid by the second." He buried his face in the pillow to make the subject die, and Sora was very grateful for it.

When his silver-head lifted, he asked, "So, Sora..."

"Yeah?"

"If I fall asleep, I should have you know: don't get near my brother alone."

"W-why's that?"

"You really don't want to know..."

He _knew _there had been something bad about him. Hopefully Cloud was all right.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - A Raging Storm of the Heart**_

* * *

Unfortunately, Cloud did not receive Riku's warning about the dreaded Sephiroth. His bipolar disorder made him very unpredictable. When chatting with him about how school was since the older had graduated, he seemed to be a gentleman. But Sephiroth's personality was much more warped.

"So, you had Teaman?" Cloud asked. "He's okay. At times he bothers me though... he stutters a lot."

"You really don't notice it until you listen fairly closely. When you pick up on it, it's annoying as hell."

"Yeah, exactly." Cloud chuckled. This wasn't ideal conversation, but it was much better than silence. Speaking of which...

Insert awkward silence.

"You know," Sephiroth suddenly said, "You're pretty cute."

The blonde was suddenly visibly embarrassed. "W-wait a second. Are you?..."

"Gay? Yes. And so are you."

"W-what? No! I'm... bisexual..." The last word was barely audible, but Sephiroth heard it ring like a bell. "How do you know that?"

"I can tell." Pressing his hands against the couch cushions, he moved up closer to Cloud, who moved backwards. "I wonder how nice you would be."

"...what do you mean?" he squeaked. "D-don't get any ideas! My brother knows _nothing, _and I'd like to keep it that way!"

"Aw, you're just playing hard to get." He stuck out his bottom lip.

"Seriously... my brother... " He inched closer, setting his left hand on Cloud's waist when the blonde could move back no further. "...has no clue that I..." His right hand on his thigh, making the blonde gasp. "...like men like girls." Sephiroth inched closer. Cloud begged his mind to resist, trying to focus on Leon. Leon... if there was one male he could make out with, it would be him. Not that he had really any true feelings for him, but Sephiroth was...

Clearly experienced. That was the nice way of putting it.

The hand on his leg moved to his face and coiled itself around the back of Cloud's neck, bringing him in for a kiss. It was so unlike Leon's, who had been rough and unforgiving. Sephiroth's was gentle and caressing, taking his time and drawing out the pleasure.

Moaning, Cloud gently gripped Sephiroth's black shirt, and his fingers closed tighter as Sephiroth turned his face and kissed Cloud again. He did this for several seconds before deciding to delve his tongue into the younger, who squirmed helplessly. It made it all the more enjoyable for Sephiroth.

Cloud felt like a child, being overpowered by the man hanging over him. _A child... _compared to Sephiroth, he _was _only a child. He tried to withdrawal, but in his attempts, Sephiroth became frustrated and forced Cloud down with unimaginable strength.

He suddenly realized how bad his situation really was. Either Sephiroth was a stubborn man or was very horny. When two green eyes flashed angrily, he decided the answer was both.

"...if you get caught, I'll report you to the police." Cloud panted quietly. "For… violating me against my will."

The older grunted, and released Cloud. He was shaking. Hoping it wasn't too obvious, he got up from his spot. "I'm... going to the bathroom." Which was a place he desperately needed to go afterwards to hide.

He locked the door, and after checking three times that it was indeed locked, he sat down and leaned against the door. Shuddering, he buried his face in his arms. _Nothing happened. He didn't touch my clothing at all._

_Jesus, if any more men make any moves on me, I'll kill myself. I hope Sora didn't see me._

Sora was actually blissfully unaware of anything that had happened. Earlier, Riku had begun to fall asleep, and soon after, Sora lay down by his side without thinking and fell asleep by his side.

The thunder roared in the distance, but the rain began to die down.

* * *

_**January, 2012**_**  
A/N: The car scene was a regurgitation of a real life event between my older sister and I. We were **_**trying **_**to go home from band practice when Katrina hit our area. She was **_**so **_**irritated that I was wiggin' out. xD Ah, good memories… **

**I've noticed that in my old writing, I have a habit of repeating the same bad descriptions **_**over **_**and **_**over. **_**I'm doing my best to throw it out and replace them, but it's really hard. And honestly, I'm not even halfway through editing this (the next couple chapters end up being longer than the first couple, I think) so it's getting really boring and hair-pulling-out inducing.**

**Plus, my winter break is almost over, so I'll be back to the books soon. I'm already getting e-mails from my clinical instructor and my Japanese professor. Gimme a break, class starts **_**after **_**this weekend! D:**

**But I started this, so I'm going to finish the edit. I'm just gonna confess right now and profusely apologize for the extreme filler. I used to write things on half a whim (which I actually still kinda do—that's why **_**A Small Dream **_**is sitting with one chapter only—well, that and no one reviewed so I lost interest) so this was all on the fly. This whole "Riku's house" thing is hardly moving any plot along. Just bear with it—if you've gotten this far, I believe in you!**

**I used to love this fic—it's sad that I've realized the major mistakes with it. I am just **_**so tired **_**of replacing the "he blinked," "he smiled," and "awkward silence," in addition to cutting out almost every irrelevant referring to eye and hair color.**

**Oooh…. I really ranted on this one. Whelp, next one comin' up!**


	9. The Coming of a True Feeling

_**January 21, 2012**_

**A/N: More adventures at Riku's house. I'm just going to jam to 2NE1 and continue quick editing. **

**But before I do, let me clarify one thing. Originally when I wrote this and called Sephiroth "bipolar," it was done under assumptions from personal experience and wasn't exactly serious. But as I went to edit **_**out **_**this description, I realized that… well, actually, this particular behavior could **_**possibly **_**fit bipolar disorder. So, here, **_**yes, **_**I actually mean bipolar disorder. **

**The fact that these "real life experiences" came from someone who practically **_**worshipped **_**Sephiroth as the best character of all time has to be more than a creepy coincidence. Hm.**

* * *

_**Cinderfella **_

_Chapter 9 – The Coming of a True Feeling_

When Sora woke, he could feel heavy breathing down on his neck. Funny, when did he fall asleep? As he became more aware of his surroundings, he noticed two arms holding him close to somebody else. Where was he again?

Then he remembered.

Although he was extremely embarrassed, he took a good guess that he had let himself drift off a little longer than he had planned to. The rain was reduced as much as to make no sound—if it was even raining at all anymore. He could feel Riku's shivering body against his own. Was he really that cold? His question was answered as he unconsciously pulled Sora tighter to him.

_He's asleep, _Sora told himself, trying not to freak out, _He's just looking for heat, and body heat _is _the best source…_

Riku and he were friends, it wasn't like they were... you know, the main characters of Wild Daisies.

Trying not to think of anything else, he closed his eyes and succumbed again to the innocence of sweet sleep.

Riku, on the other hand, was having the deepest slumber he could possibly have, and not once did he think twice of the boy he held close to his chest. He was more of a _pillow _to him.

When the older finally did wake up, the first thing he noticed was the change in daylight... or lack there of. He hugged his "pillow" tighter to realize it wasn't as fluffy as he was expecting...

"Sora?" he croaked. The younger did not fidget. "Sor—" He paused. The feeling of him felt oddly familiar... but what was it? He held him just a bit closer, just enough for his brain to attempt to comprehend the feeling in his gut.

Somewhere in his hazy mind, a thought began to click...

"Riku?" The sound of Sora's voice cut through the thought. "You're awake?"

"Yeah," he replied softly. To each other's surprise, they did not pull away. But Riku couldn't help asking, "How did we end up like this?"

"You fell asleep, and I guess I did too..."

"Trying to get in bed with me, sneaky bastard?" he joked. That's when Sora squirmed out of Riku's arms.

"No! I was just..." His face turned a healthy shade of red as he began to blabber senselessly.

Riku chuckled. "I'm kidding... geez." He observed Sora's face—but more importantly, his bright shade of blue eyes. Something was trying to connect, but he was so tired he couldn't think.

"O-oh." Sora looked towards the window, sitting up on the bed beside Riku. "I have a feeling I'll be staying the night."

"I hope school's cancelled," Riku murmured. "As bad as it rained, and as much as I still feel like crap, I don't want to go."

"Why would you have to go?" Sora asked.

"Stupid Health project." He looked up at his friend with a smirk on his face. Sora looked at him with a puzzled face.

"But... what? I..." He suddenly understood. "You're making fun of me!"

"Took you long enough." Riku laughed at him.

"Haha, funny." Sora stood up, stretching. "Wonder what time it is..."

The silver-haired teen flipped himself over to check the clock. "It's 8:12."

"That late? Damn..." Sora rubbed his head. "You want something?"

"Uhh... water's fine, if you don't mind."

Sora nodded and left. For a few minutes, Riku lay down in the room, trying to gather his thoughts. There was something about Sora, something particularly special about him... but he couldn't come to think of what it was. When the mentioned boy came back, there was a surprised look on his face.

"What is it?"

"My brother... isn't there..." He blinked as walked around the bedside and set the glass down beside the alarm clock.

"Oh, thanks," he said, watching Sora carefully adjust the water. "What do you mean?" Riku sat up, rubbing his head as vertigo hit him.

"Your brother's dead asleep on your couch, but my brother is long gone."

"You checked all the rooms?"

He nodded. "The car's still here though. Wonder where he could have went?"

"I'm sure he's around or somethin'." Riku burrowed his face down in the pillow. He said something, but only came out as a muffled sentence.

"What?"

He lifted his head lazily. "I said, 'Bet it was Sephiroth.'" Back down to suffocation.

"What exactly is the deal with your brother?"

Sora watched him flip to his back. "He's not exactly... what's the word? Oh! _Straight." _His voice dripped heavily with sarcasm.

"...you mean he's gay."

"Uh huh."

"...so you didn't want me to get caught with him alone because...?" He had no need to finish the sentence.

"Yup."

"So he's a cradle robber too?"

"Well, he probably wouldn't do anything to _you. _Just stare at you and make you uncomfortable."

"I'm uncomfortable already, actually." Sora remembered the way the two deep emeralds flashed at him. There was a good reason for his bad feeling.

"I wonder if your brother's all right then?" Sora turned to him with a concerned look etched on his face. "It's probably okay," Riku reassured him.

"If you say so…" Sora sighed. "Oh, yeah, I knew you wouldn't want them, but I brought them for you to force feed you anyway." He threw a pack of crackers at Riku's head. "You don't have to eat them _all... _just a few."

"Oh, gee, food for me to vomit! _Thanks_."He threw the packet halfway across the room.

"Hey!" Sora ran around and picked up the white packaging. "If you don't eat, you're never going to get better. Besides, if you don't overeat, it'll all stay in your stomach."

"Fine, I'll eat them." Sora sat on the bed, dangling the crackers in front of the sick teen, who swiped them from his hand. "But when I get sick again, I'll sue."

"That's not a legitimate reason to take me to court, you know," he laughed as Riku chomped into a cracker.

"_Anything _is a legitimate reason these days. I could eat at McDonald's, get fat, sue, and win the case."

"Didn't that already happen?"

"Point proven." Riku slowly munched on a second cracker. "So... I suppose you're staying the night?"

"I guess." Sora twiddled his thumbs. "I'm still worried about Cloud..."

"He seems like a capable guy. Sephiroth is stubborn and bipolar, but just border-line psycho."

"Border-line psycho? That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yup." Riku finished a third cracker.

"Meh..."

There was a moment of silence, excluding Riku's crunching. Sora grabbed a cracker himself and began to munch. "You know..." Chew, chew, swallow. "I was wondering... are you dating Kairi?"

Sora gagged.

"No?"

He shook his head, still coughing.

"Just wondering."

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Coming of a True Feeling**_

* * *

Meanwhile, the missing Cloud had actually put his cellphone to good use— he had called Leon to come pick him up, and there he was on Leon's bed. Although he still felt awkward around his friend after the previous encounter, at least the cold senior had _some _respect in his choice of abstinence.

Not, of course, that Cloud had given Leon reason _why _he had given the sudden "pick-me-up-it's-a-freaking-emergency" call. And, again showing respect, Leon asked nothing of it, giving Cloud privacy.

"So, something happened over there," Leon finally spoke, eyes never deterring from the computer screen.

Okay... _what _privacy?

"I don't want to talk about it." He kept his eyes focused on the blank, white wall.

"You'll never help yourself by keeping shut up about it. Might as well tell me while it's still vibrant in your mind."

"What are you, a _psychiatrist_?"

"No, but I won't argue against you or say anything ignorant."

He sighed, trying to find the words that would start his mouth. There was a unsettling silence, excluding the ticking of Leon's keyboard, until, "I was over at Riku's house because of the storm... and his brother..."

Complete silence engulfed the room. As Cloud tried to continue, his vocal chords produced an incoherent stutter. Leon took the hint quite well.

"Did he?"

"No, he tried."

"Does your little brother know anything?"

"I don't think so."

"Does he even know you're _here_?"

"No."

"Don't you think he'd be worried?"

"Maybe, but right now, I really can't face anyone. I had to _really _gather courage to call you."

"Am I really that scary?" Leon finally turned to face Cloud, a single eyebrow raised. Cloud sent an angry glare meant for Leon to the wall.

"That's not funny."

"Wasn't supposed to be." Rising from his chair, he sat next to his friend on the bed, who flipped himself around so he didn't have to face anyone. "Look, I know you're upset, but you don't have to act so stupid about it."

"I'm not acting stupid."

"You're avoiding me..."

"Because he wasn't the only one trying to get into my pants. Isn't that right?" If it weren't for the fact that he was avoiding Leon, Cloud would have been glaring at _him _instead of the wall.

"But I also told you I'd wait when you told me to stop." This was true...

"After I _pleaded _you, yeah!" To a point.

"You know, Cloud, when people get 'excited,' they tend to say things they really don't mean, for instance—"

"Okay, I get it." Cloud's exasperated sigh was his sign of defeat.

"Don't let people get to you just for the things they do."

"That's easy for _you _to say."

"Seriously. You let it dig through your skin and infect you like a parasite. If they aren't doing anything to pay you in the end, screw it."

That was actually helpful advice. The only difference between Cloud and Leon is that Leon didn't care about how people thought about him—Cloud did. Cloud wanted to make a kinder impact on people, with "please" and "thank you" and respect them. Leon's only opinion, to quote him, "Scew them."

"Well, there was something else that was kind of bothering me..." He looked away from Leon's gaze, rubbing fabric from the bedsheets in his thumb and middle finger.

"You still have a good half hour for your therapy session, Cloud, go ahead."

Leon's sad attempt at humor was sort of heart-lifting. "What if—what if... Sora or my father found out about my... _sexuality_? What would I do?"

"Well, I can't speak for your father. I haven't met him. But as for your brother, I think he wouldn't care."

"And why's that?"

"Come on, Cloud, you don't see it?" The puzzled look on Cloud's face answered Leon's question, which was mostly rhetorical anyway. "Well, no matter the circumstances, your brother really cares for you. Do you _really _think a little thing like bisexuality is going to bother him? I mean, yes, he flips out on projects, but that's just something trivial that he's... _immature _about."

"I guess you're right—wait, how did you know about Sora's distaste for projects?"

Chuckle. "As if the whole _world _didn't know..."

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Coming of a True Feeling**_

* * *

"A full balanced meal of crackers," Riku said dryly.

"Well, hey, look at it this way. Your stomach's full. Mine's still growling."

"Then go grab yourself a real meal. We have lots to eat in the cupboard and fridge. Actually, I think I left a sandwich from Tom's Diner... go grab that. I don't want it, and by the time I wanted to, it'll be full of mold."

"What kind of sandwich?" Sora inquired.

"Reuben."

"Oh, sure, I'll take that... thanks." Normally, Sora would have argued against it, but Riku's logic made perfect sense. "Well, I'll go eat while you get more rest. Sick people need to sleep to get better."

"Fine, fine. G'nigh'."

"Night, Riku."

He strolled to the kitchen and looked in the pearl white refrigerator, eyes scanning for a delicious rye covered sandwich. There was a small box in there. Maybe that was it? He cracked the box open, and indeed, a succulent-looking reuben accompanied by fries sat there, waiting to be eaten.

Now, he would have to stick it in the microwave. Plates... where were plates? He peeked into a couple of cabinets round the kitchen until he found stacked plates in the one. Pulling out a small one out, he set it on the counter, and then stacked his sandwich and dumped the fries on top. Then, into the microwave. How to use it? Most microwaves worked the same, right?

He set the timer to two minutes, the soft buzz becoming a comfort to the tense silence of an (almost) foreign house. Sitting in a chair, he waited, humming to himself. "BEEEEEP." He looked up, seeing the light in the microwave had gone off. Must be done. Food!

Sora rose from his chair and attempted to take the plate out of the microwave to find the white ceramic dish hot to the touch. Yelping, he looked around for something to pull it out with, but nothing he saw could really help...

"Here." A hand with a hot pad in its palm took the plate. Sora's eyes locked with Riku's. "Don't burn your little fingers on our plates and sue me back for those crackers."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Sora asked, changing the subject. "I—"

"I had something to ask you, actually. Sit and eat while I talk." He gestured towards the table as he walked to it and put the plate down.

"Can't it wait?"

"Not really... I'm impatient. Plus I've slept most of the day already." Sora sat down where Riku had set the plate. The other seated himself across, folding his arms on the table and using them as a pillow for his head.

"So, what is it?" Sora asked, poking a fry before consuming it.

"Something occured to me after you left the room." Sora wore a blank face. "Are you..."

"Hm?"

"Are you... _sure _you haven't met Dora before?"

Sora almost choked, but forced himself to swallow his bite before responding, "I told you, once or twice. Why's that?"

"Well, I mean, you two look so alike and your names are so similiar. So, what's the relationship? Sister? Cousin?"

Sora's heart was beating so loudly that it could probably suit as a bass. "I... told you... she's just an acquaintance. Why is it that you care so much?"

"I don't," he pressed, lifting his head to face Sora.

"Yes you do."

"Look, I..." Riku was lost for words. "I thought she was cute, all right? Just because you meet someone once doesn't mean that you don't care about them... I just happened to find her company nice and... I'll shut up now."

He laid his head back down in his arms. Thank god for Sora, his face was becoming a cherry at an incredible rate. "Hey, you okay?"

"Sleepy."

"Go back to bed."

"You're not my mom."

Sora's blushing worsened if possible. He wasn't sure. "Go back to sleep, I mean it."

"Not until you tell me how you know Dora." He looked up and gave Sora an icy glare. Sora, who almost jumped out of his chair, was going to stay strong. He was going to stick to his story, and that was _it. _

He would not cave in to Riku's glare, that was quickly becoming more like pout...

Pouting was cheating! But even still, Sora would _not _cave in.

"But I bet I could set up a... d-date for you..." It slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

"You... you could?" His face lightened with power that would rival a Christmas tree's.

"Um, yeah. I'll talk to Kairi about it, and... yeah." _Oh crap, what did I just do?_

"Okay, I'm going to bed then." A smirk made Riku's sickly face look a shade healthier as he stood wearily from the table. "G'night, Sora."

"Night, Riku."

_Shit! _Now what? The feeling in Sora's stomach prevented him from finishing his half-eaten sandwich and several fries. He wasn't sure how he felt— worried that this was a bad idea, embarrassed that he was going to have to crossdress once more... and even, maybe a little happy that he could be with Riku again?

No, _no no no. _Sora was not gay. He had to get this stupid mentality out of his head. He should be worrying about more important things, anyway. Like how his father would kill him for not being home for so long, not doing his household duties, et cetera.

Why was he the target of anger, anyway?

When he was a little kid, he had accepted fate sadly, but as he grew, he came to realize that it was ridiculous, the way he was abused. It didn't even make perfect sense. At the age of thirteen, he had come to conclude that Mr. Ansem Strife has some mental issue, or at least a problem with Sora.

But as realization had come to Sora, so had harder abuse. This, in turn, prevented Sora from any retaliation. He just did what he was told, and all was (mostly) fine and dandy in his messed up little world.

Worrying about it wasn't making anything better, though. In fact, it was making it worse—his stomach felt like it was churning. Sora could have sworn he had gotten Riku's stomach virus, but he decided it was just stress. He knew he wasn't going to finish sandwich now, so he upped from the table and threw the remaining food in the trash and stuck the plate in the sink.

The question _now what_? buzzed in his head. Well, first, he would go to check in on Riku and make sure he wasn't planning to wake up _yet again._

Entering the doorway, he first noticed the lump under the bed sheets. He stood there for a few moments, making sure that Riku was going to be okay. When he did not stir, Sora thought he would be fine, and left. Sephiroth was still lifeless on the living room couch. Well, there _was_ that television in the small back room. Neither of the brothers would mind if he watched it, did they?

So, he ambled into the back room, plopped down on the small couch, and shuffled around for the remote, that was stuck in between the cushions. With a push of a button, the television flickered on. Though Sora forced himself to watch, his mind was floating elsewhere.

_What will happen when Riku finds out that _I'm _really Dora?_

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Coming of a True Feeling**_

* * *

"Maybe you should go back to the house and let your little brother know where you went," Leon finally spoke. Cloud gave him a curious look.

"And what of Sephiroth?"

"Screw him."

"That's exactly what I _don't _want to do!"

"You know what I mean," Leon replied. "Remember what I said. He's not doing anything for you. Avoid him if you have to, and just ignore him. If he can't accept your decisions, he's being an immature brat."

"You act as if you're thirty, you know that?"

"Well, if that's how I act, then I am who I am."

"...let's just keep it simple." He drew a deep breath, and exhaled. "Let me stay the night, and then I'll go back over."

"Sounds like a good plan. I just hope your brother doesn't have a heart attack."

"He has my cell number if he really needs me. Besides, I'm still really not up to talking to anyone, despite our talk..."

"Then go ahead and sleep on my bed." He patted the bed with a single hand.

"Er..."

"Go on. It's _comfy, _remember? I'll put out an air mattress for myself." He rose from the bed and started to shuffle through the over flowing closet as Cloud remained where he was, closing his eyes. "Ah, here it is." Flop.

"Hey, um, thanks for everything." A memory flickered in his head as he spoke.

"You're welcome."

Sora's face came to mind as Cloud was falling asleep. _"Thanks for everything, Cloud. I would never ask for a better brother in the world."_

"Cloud?" As the air mattress puffed to life, Leon leaned over Cloud. He was breathing deeply... obviously asleep. A hand gently brushed blonde bangs back. "I don't think you know how much it hurts to watch you. You're so... so..." Unable to think of the word, he just fell silent and watched Cloud sleep.

* * *

_**January 21, 2012**_

**A/N: It's way past my bed time, so I'm just going throw confetti for congrats and promptly go to my bed. **

**If you don't know what a reuben is, GGRKS! Haha, I've always wanted to tell someone that, but no one I know is dorky enough to understand what that means. But anyway, reubens are yummy. I am so jealous of Sora!**

**Oh, yes, that bed… COME HERE BED I WILL SLEEP IN YOOOOOOOOUUUU (Still crazy six years later… farewell for now!)**


	10. The Pain of a Fallen Sky

_**January 27, 2012**_**  
A/N: I seriously have nothing of value to say. Enjoy?**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 10 – The Pain of a Fallen Sky_

"_Oh my gosh! Watch out for that!—Pineapple."_

"_OW! What the heck are pineapples doing flying anyway?"_

"_That would be Jerry's fault."_

"_I WILL USE THE PINEAPPLE LAUNCHER TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD AND ACHIEVE MY GOAL—FREE MUFFINS!"_

"_...That's stupid."_

"_I know! Awesome plan, huh?"_

Sora slowly blinked his eyes open to morning sunlight. He must have fallen asleep watching television. The image of random blurs bouncing about the television confused him.

Just what the hell was he watching? His vision became clearer, and saw several cartoon-drawn people running around in random hysteria. Pineapples? Muffins? Just _what _channel was this even on?

There was a blue bar across the bottom of the screen though that caught his attention. It was definitely something you rarely saw before the winter season: school and any other business cancellations. _"Lambs of God Preschool – Canceled." _Then it switched to, _"Landcedar High School – Canceled."_

Well, Riku's wish had come true. No school today... and since it was Friday, it would be a long weekend. Sora smiled for a moment—until the stupefying television show caught his attention once more.

Where was a movie when you needed it?

His gaze turned to the DVD case set in the corner of the room.

He popped up from the couch and scuttled over to shuffle through them. They were all action movies. No, he was in the mood for comedy…

He knew what he wanted to watch the moment he saw it. "_Groundhog Day_! Gosh, it's been so _long _since I've watched this!" He popped the DVD in the player and used a separate remote to get the movie playing.

"Where'd your brother go?" said a startling voice from the doorway. It took Sora a moment to figure out what he was talking about.

"Sephiroth... you're awake..."

"Questions usually require answers...?"

"I don't know. There's your answer." He shifted awkwardly in his spot on the couch. For _God's sake, _this couldn't be happening...

"I see you're watching _Groundhog Day_. Have you seen it before?"

"Yeah, a couple of years ago."

Sephiroth walked in the room and sat next to Sora. _Oh no, _Sora thought, shifting again. "You know... you're pretty cute."

For a moment, he was startled. But then he remembered what Riku had told him…_ I'm in trouble, aren't I?_

"That doesn't bother you?"

"I'm a little embarrassed, if you want to know the truth," he snorted, pretending to be actually watching the movie instead of mentally freaking out.

"Hm. So you're not a homophobe?"

"No, of course not." Of course, Sora wouldn't tell him that he was reading a book about gay men, but...

He felt as if he should have been more bothered by Sephiroth than he really was.

A big hand that wrapped around his shoulders now began his official freak-out mode. His eyes felt like they became twice their normal size, and he couldn't help but take meet with Sephiroth's stare.

"Soo... are you gay?" Sephiroth asked shamelessly.

"What? N-no!" He squirmed in Sephiroth's grip, but it was firmer than he had first thought.

"Bisexual?"

"God, no!" But somehow, the stronghold of the older man made him feel warm… and... _No! What __is_wrong_ with me? I don't like guys… I don't like guys…_

"You're sure about that? Still in the closet?"

"N-no...!" Sephiroth's face came closer to his, and Sora could practically feel his breath on his neck. He flushed beyond a healthy shade of red. "St-stop that..."

"Hmm? Want me to stop teasing you? Okay, let's—"

"Sephiroth! What the _hell _are you doing to Sora?" Both of them glanced to the door to see Riku storming into the room. His face looked as if he had just risen from the dead.

"Baby brother... shouldn't you be in bed?"

Riku's blank expression quickly became into a deep glare. "Shouldn't you be seducing men your age?"

"Hmph." Sora inhaled a deep breath as the weight on his shoulders disappeared. "You just love ruining my fun."

"Because it's fun to hit on my friends, who is nowhere close to your age?" Riku shot back.

Sephiroth only gave another "humph," as he left the room.

"Didn't I tell you not to be alone with him?" Riku reprimanded as he replaced Sephiroth's place on that couch.

"I was just watching the movie when he walked in on me. What was I supposed to tell him, 'You scare me, go away?'"

"Precisely."

"But that's rude!"

"And smothering you with unwanted affection isn't?"

Riku did have a point. But why was he getting so upset about it? Sora couldn't help feeling… _relieved _that Riku was defending him. That meant he must mean something to Riku, right? "Feeling better?" Sora asked, changing the subject.

"I _was _feeling better, and then Sephiroth made me feel sick," he growled. "Sorry, Sora. When Cloud returns, I'm sure he'll take you home... I'm just so sorry you got stuck here."

"What? Don't be! I mean, except for your brother, it wasn't so bad! Kind of fun... like a sleepover!" In truth, Sora was trying to be optimistic. While he did have a pleasant time at Riku's, he knew he would have to pay for it extensively when he returned home.

"A sleepover?" Riku chuckled. "More like a 'take care of Riku while avoiding his molesting brother' than a sleepover."

Sora joined in with his laughter. "Well, it's the closest to a sleepover than I've ever had."

"Are you serious?" Riku ogled at Sora in confusion, and his laughter became silent. Sora could feel his cheeks light on fire from embarrassment. "You've never had an actual _sleepover_?"

"Nope. Why, is that bad?"

"Not bad, _sad. _That's really depressing. Didn't your friends like you or something?"

_No, my dad's just a bastard... _Sora thought. But he replied instead with, "Oh, no, it's not that. We just really never planned any together. That's all."

"Well, I guess you'll have to come over to my house when I'm not sick and my parents are here instead of my brother. Then we can actually do something fun, as friends."

_Friends... so we're finally... _officially_ friends _The very thought gave him butterflies in his stomach. No, no—why was he so excited? "That would be cool," he replied. "I mean, this is a nice change—you're so quiet at school."

It was so strange, thinking that Riku could be this social and… well, sort of _smooth_, in a way. It was like Riku had the potential to be a social creature, but instead shied away from the rest of the world.

With his cool, down to Earth attitude, Riku should be able to connect with others, even have a great amount of popularity. So what made him shut out the world? Was he naturally shy? Or was there something else?

"Haha, yeah... sorry about that," Riku said with a sincere, nervous smirk. "I'm not very good with people anymore..."

"Anymore?"

"Well, I mean—that is..." In that moment Riku lost the cool that Sora so admired before putting on a stony mask and muttered, "...oh, forget I said anything. It's not important anymore."

Somehow, the conversation dropped and both boys just watched the movie in silence.

It was just about the end when Sephiroth walked in, making sure to keep a good distance away to avoid Riku. _How funny, he's scared of his little brother, _joked Sora to himself.

"Your ride's here."

Both boys glanced at each other before knowing what that meant. "Then... I guess I'll see you Monday," Sora said, standing up.

"Mm. Oh, Sora, don't forget to ask Kairi, okay?"

"Ask Kairi... what?" Sora spun and gave Riku a perplexed look, until realization dawned upon him. "Ohh... right... don't worry, I won't forget." Sora winked to show that he understood before leaving the house.

"Cloud didn't come near the front door, did he?" Riku asked.

"Nope, just pulled the car up and honked."

"It's _your _fault, isn't it?"

"Maybe not completely."

"In other words, yes. Dear god, can't you keep your hands off anyone?" Riku dramatically rolled his eyes.

"Touchy touchy. Perhaps that's because you have eyes for Sora?" Sephiroth gave Riku a smug look. There was only a hint of a blush on Riku's face.

"We went over this. I'm not gay."

"You sure? You were staring at that kid like he was hotter than a frying pan on fire."

There was a short silence. "If there's one favor you can do for the world, never, _ever _become a writer. That was the worst metaphor I've ever heard in my life."

"So you're not denying it."

"God, Sephiroth, _no_! Just because you're gay doesn't mean the world is! Get out of the room before I seriously make attempts to kill you!"

"Kill me? That's pretty funny."

"I _mean _it. Get. Out."

"Ri-Ri, can't we—"

"**I will assure that your death is slow and painful if you don't get the hell out." **The younger boy got onto his feet and walked towards the brother, grabbing a seemingly useless umbrella along the way. "See this? I can use it like a sword, or a _sword_."

"You said sword twice," Sephiroth pointed out.

"I'm talking two different kinds. Now _get out _before I smack you with it and then shove it up your—" And the man was gone in a heartbeat.

Riku smirked, keeping the umbrella at his side like a weapon. It made him feel better just knowing he got Sephiroth to leave him alone for five minutes... though he was hoping for at least ten, if he was lucky. He wondered how long it would take him this time to realize that Sephiroth was actually the stronger of the two...

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Pain of a Fallen Sky**_

* * *

"Where did you go last night?"

"Leon's."

'Why?"

"Don't want to talk about it." Cloud tapped the wheel nervously as he made his way back to their house.

"You should have said something."

"If you were worried, you could have called me." Good point on Cloud's part.

"Well, I figured you weren't going to abandon me there..." Sora exhaled loudly. "It just seems that it would have been considerate to tell me."

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking when I left. Actually, I'm still not thinking, now that I think about it." Cloud tried to block the memory out. He probably _should _have said something…

"How can you think about it if you're still not thinking?"

"Smart ass." For a second, Sora thought he had pissed off Cloud, but the smile Cloud shot him indicated otherwise.

"Hey, the roads look a lot better."

"And that's why now's a good time to go home."

"Haha, very funny." The two laughed before they each concentrated on their own little thing: Cloud on his driving, and Sora on his social problems.

There was a guilty weight in Sora's stomach from this morning's short fiasco— he actually hadn't been too unwilling to the older man until Riku showed up. Then Sora would have gladly been with Riku. His heart practically fluttered when Riku addressed him or talked to him—even more so when they talked about spending more time together.

But... he just _couldn't _be...

He couldn't get Riku off his mind. Even when Riku was no way related to the situation, Sora thought of Riku in some way. All the signs pointed in one direction.

Sora really liked Riku.

As in, _really _liked Riku.

Oh, god. That was... embarrassing, frightening, and... lonely. If there was one secret he had to keep from Cloud, it was _that. _Er, besides the whole "being the secret housemaid" idea... but his new found (gay) crush was second on the list.

"We're home," Cloud declared, breaking Sora from his trance. Sora peered up to see the house in sight. And then fear crept into his heart.

His father was going to _kill him._

Nonchalantly, Cloud exited the car and grabbed his backpack in the back seat. Sora followed suit in a more nervous manner, forcing himself to be slower than usual, just to hold fate back for a few more seconds.

"Tired?" Cloud asked, observing Sora's unusual "not-in-a-hurry" mood.

"A little."

Together, they walked up the driveway, down the small brick path, and entered the front door. "Dad!" the blonde called. "We're home!"

It took less than a heartbeat before Ansem entered the entrance hallway. The first person his eyes laid on was Sora. The look he gave him dug through his eyes and right into his soul.

_I am dead._

"I got your message," he explained, finally tearing his eyes away from Sora. "I'm just glad to see you two boys okay. Why don't you put your bags in your rooms, hmm?" He grinned, but Sora recognized its complete fakeness. Whether or not Cloud could tell was a mystery—it _was _his birthfather, so either Ansem had pretended to smile all his life, or Cloud had pretended to see it as a real smile... Sora wasn't sure which one it was.

His guess was… probably both.

Once Sora made it up the stairs, he dragged his backpack along the floor and tossed it a few feet in his bedroom. For a moment, he just stood there to observe the room, because it may be the last time he could enjoy it.

Sora hadn't actually done anything in the past, not one, but _two _nights, so he might lose his head. Which was something vital he needed to live. _Farewell bedroom! Farewell head!_

He forced himself away from the bedroom to face the hell that awaited him downstairs. Sora could hear Cloud's voice from the study. Sora peeked into the room—Ansem was seated at the desk, and Cloud leaned on the other side.

"Have you seen the bruises on him? I saw one on his stomach the other day..."

_The bruises? _He _did _remember seeing one on his stomach a few days back from Ansem's kick, but how had he found out?

"When did you see his stomach?"

"His shirt was pulled up when he was asleep."

_Dammit! You're getting me into _more_ trouble instead of _helping _me!_

"And a few weeks back there was one on his arm, and another on his shin before that. Where do you think it's coming from?"

"Hmm." Ansem propped an elbow and rubbed his chin in thought, or, at least as he _pretended _to think. The thought made Sora scowl. "I wonder if someone's bullying him at school. Why don't you talk to him about it?"

_You _would _leave me with the dirty work, wouldn't you, you bastard..._

"I'm just afraid to address it to him."

"You two are very close as brothers, closer than most. Why, I was barely close to your uncle at all."

"You mean Uncle Xe—"

"Yes. I think it would be best if you talked to Sora. Maybe it would be easier for him to talk about it then trying to keep it inside."

_It would be a _lot _easier to tell him about your abuse than some stupid lie about some bully at school... then we'd have to go through all of the questions like "who is it?" and "how long" blah blah blah..._

_Now that I think about it, what _am _I going to tell Cloud?_

"Yeah, you're right." Cloud nodded. "Thanks, Dad. I'll go talk to him now."

_Oops! I'm out! _Sora scurried quietly away and into the kitchen, remembering that he probably should make some kind of lunch... it was nearing eleven in the morning, and he doubted his father knew how to feed himself anymore. He tore through cupboards and pulled out food, just enough for cold cut sandwiches. Sora knew he was already doomed, so might as well push his luck a little further.

"Sora?" Cloud blinked as he entered, watching Sora work in a frenzy. Setting pots on the warm stove and dumping bowls of cold soup in, piecing together sandwiches by meat, cheese and bread. Cloud wondered why in the hell Sora ever bothered at all.

Maybe it was because of his problem... Sora was always like this. Working harder than a maid, but never paid like one, period. So where did the root of his problem lie? From what Cloud gathered through the years, it wasn't in his half brother's personality. Why do it then? What was the underlying reason? _Why?_

It was clearly obvious that either Sora had ignored him or hadn't heard him after two minutes of continuing what he was doing. "Sora?" Cloud readdressed in the same tone, but louder. This time Sora had heard him, darting his head about to face the older quickly. "Can I talk to you?"

"After lunch," was his curt reply, and then as if nothing had happened, he went back to work.

"Sora... why?"

"Because I'm hungry, so I figure, 'Might as well make lunch,' and it's hard to talk while I'm concentrating on not burning the soup, so—"

"No, I mean, why do you bother busying yourself all the time?" Sora froze with his right hand hovering over the slices of turkey breast. "Why do you try so hard? You're always stressing yourself out over it. Something's wrong, something's _been _wrong."

"I don't want to talk about it right now," he replied quietly. He needed to time to think—this wasn't a lie he could come up with on the spot. He had to plan everything out so it fit correctly. He couldn't let Cloud find out, or Sora was doomed.

"Then after lunch?" Cloud offered, surprisingly. "Promise?"

"I... I promise." There was an awkward silence that filled the room, until Sora held his breath and dove right back into his pattern with a slightly slower pace.

"God... Sora, let me _help _you." He marched up beside the brunet and spread his arms out across so Sora couldn't reach past, grabbed bread, slapped cheese and turkey in-between and chucked it carelessly onto the plate. "You don't need any more sandwiches. You've got five for three people."

"Let me at least—"

But before Sora could even finish his sentence, Cloud grabbed a ladle from the drawer and dipped it into the chicken soup. He tasted it as Sora tried to convince him that he could take care of it. "It's all done. Call Dad in, okay?"

"But it all—"

"_I _will take care of it."

Cloud wasn't this stubborn... not usually. Convinced he was better off just listening to his brother, he ran from the room, leaving Cloud to set the table and anything else that needed taken care of.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Pain of a Fallen Sky**_

* * *

"You promised. Dad's downstairs, so it's just us. So, why don't you tell me what's wrong?" Cloud sat on his bed, and Sora was sitting down beside.

Sora couldn't think of anything. For once, his clever lies were all... not clever. He hadn't even come up with something _lame, _except for Ansem's offered "bully" excuse. But that would raise too many complications. Actually, anything that involved another person would make things complicated.

The light bulb turned on in his head.

"Sora?"

"I..."

But hold the phone. Could he really tell Cloud such a pitiful lie? Well, what _else _could he tell his brother? Nothing... but... what to do?

"Cloud. I..."

"It's okay. No matter what you say, I won't turn against you, promise. We'll sort this out together, I won't take charge."

_You just don't understand. We can't sort this out together. I can't tell you the truth. I can't... _Before he could stop himself, tears started to spill. This startled Cloud.

"Sora? Hey... it's all right." He took a thumb and wiped away the tears that started to stream down his face. "Just take a deep breath."

And Sora did, almost gasping as he did so. It didn't calm him down at all.

_I can't tell you that all this time, our father, _your _father, has treated me like a slave, not his son—not even like a person. I can't tell you how much I even love you, how much you mean to me... that _you're _the reason I even try anymore. I can't tell you now I… I think that I've fallen for a guy, and not just _any _guy—Riku, because I don't know if you'd hate me or what. I can't tell you how many times I just wished that everything would just stop…_

He couldn't choke the sobs the wracked his body. He looked at Cloud's scarlet bed sheets to hide his face, which twisted as he fought with his mind.

"Cloud... the reason why... I do it... is to forget..."

_But it doesn't make me forget. It makes me _remember _my status._

"To forget... that I'm a lie..."

_I'm a big, fat lie. Half of the things I've probably told you are lies, just to escape the fate that I struggle to run from._

"That I don't deserve it. I don't deserve this happiness..."

_Why don't I deserve to be happy? What did I ever do?_

"I'm a big burden. I should have died with my parents..."

_I should have died. Then I wouldn't know this pain. This sadness... unaccepted by the only family that could take me in._

"I do everything I can to make up for the fact that I'm pathetic. I do it all to make up for putting up with me, with your burden..."

_I do everything so I don't become a burden_ _to him and become a dog on the street._

"I do it... because I don't... I don't..." He ran out of things to say, weeping with his face in his two hands. Arms pulled him closer to a warm body.

"Whatever in the world made you _think _of such a thing, Sora? You're not worthless. You're not pathetic. You're not a burden—you're making a burden upon _yourself. _You're the best brother in the whole world. Why would you ever think that?"

_I want to tell you—I _need _to tell you... but I need to keep it a secret. I can't lose you._

"I don't deserve to even be your brother..."

"Sora!" The grip around him tightened slightly. "You deserve more than what you've got! You're not worthless! I love you, _god, _and if I ever lost you, I think I'd kill myself!"

This is what Sora needed to hear. The words of _need... _he wasn't a service; he was a _friend... _a companion...

Cloud buried his face into Sora's shoulder, and before Sora realized it his sleeve was becoming soaked with tears.

He... was crying? He made Cloud _cry? _Maybe he _was _a terrible person after all...

"Don't do this to yourself, Sora. I can't stand to see you like this."

Sora really _didn't _deserve Cloud's pity. Sora had lied to Cloud so many times, even though it wasn't his fault. He hoped his half-assed confession (though it was also half true, in a way) would raise Cloud's suspicion and he would find out the truth, someday, but for now Sora was stuck.

But the older brother trusted him too much for such things. It was far from happening. But he was allowed to dream, to pray for a way out, right?

Another tear escaped as the thought bored through his head.

And while they remained there in silence, they failed to notice the figure by the bedroom doorway.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Pain of a Fallen Sky**_

* * *

"**You sound like you're crying..."**

"I was _not _crying!"

"**Don't blow a gasket, geez. Why did you call me anyway?"**

"Oh, right about that. Um... you remember the costume party, riiiight?"

"**What about it?"**

"Well, um, I need you to do me a super-important-favor."

"**Which would be?..."**

"Don't laugh at me."

"**I won't. I ****can't ****until you tell me what it is."**

"Well, err—I need you to make me Dora again for a... date with Riku."

Sora could imagine from the silence that Kairi was trying to comply to his request.

"Kairi? You there?" Sora had to pull the receiver away from his ear as laughter erupted from the other side of the line. "Goddammit, Riku wouldn't shut up about it! Please just help me!"

"**You're doing it because you **_**like**_**him, Sora."**

"Shut it and help me cross-dress! When does it suit you?"

"**Why don't I just help you with the wig and put you in your own clothes? I don't hear you denying that you like him..."**

"Just do it... for me."

There was an awkward pause. **"Sora, you really **_**do**_** like him, don't you?"**

"Please don't tell anyone. Please, to _god, _don't tell a soul."

"**I kinda already had it figured out... I just had to double-check."**

"If you're talking about how you found us, I swear that was a total—"

"**Sora. I saw you reading ****Wild Daisies****. I read that book a few months back... did you get to Chapter Thirty-Five yet?"**

"No, just to thirty. Why?"

"**...never mind. Look, how about tomorrow night? It's Saturday. That should work, shouldn't it?"**

"I can check with Riku on that. Oh, man, what if he _recognizes _me?"

"**Then... the jig's up?"**She sighed as he heard Sora retort with an annoyed groan. **"You dug yourself into the hole, Sora. Sorry. But it'll get you closer to Riku if he doesn't find out... or if he doesn't care."**

"Or it could completely drive him away, you know, if he notices what's under the skirt. His brother's gay, and he doesn't quite like it..."

"**Aaand? What's his brother like?"**

"To quote him, 'border-line psycho.'"

"**You ever consider **_**that's**_**the reason why?"**

"Yes, but I mean... there's always a chance—"

"**Either way, you happened to just dig yourself into a deeper hole. So you're going on that date. Oh, gosh, I can't wait to make you ky-uuuuute again! Call me when you're talking to Riku. Good luck!"**

The line was disconnected before he could even open his mouth to respond. He pushed the power button on the phone harder than necessary. There were rare occasions where Kairi was the most useful, yet annoying girl on the planet. This was one of those times.

And suddenly, he joked to himself, maybe _she _made him gay...

* * *

**A/N: Damn you chapter! I could really go for soup and a sandwich right about now. But we have almost nothing for sandwiches in the apartment. :I BAWWW. Maybe I'll make a grilled PB&J? **_**OMG I LOVED GRILLED PB&Js MMMMMM**_** but it doesn't really go with beef and veggie soup. Meh.**

**REVIEW DAMMIT. Next chapter comin' up!**


	11. The Love or Ache of a Heart

_**January 27, 2012**_

**I kept the original author's note because I was so deeply amused. c:**

**A/N: Ya all ready to see **_**Sora in drag? **_**(audience cheers) Ready to see Sora and Riku **_**finally **_**on a date? (more cheering)**

**Sweeeeet. Then let's get this party started!**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 11 – The Love or Ache of a Heart_

"_Ouch. _Are you about done yet?"

"I can't help it that you have such horrible hair, Sora. Now hold still…"

"I can't help it either! Ow! You burned me!"

"You fidgeted! …there, that's the last of it." Kairi set the straightening iron down on her dresser, leaving Sora sitting in the chair. His brunet locks were tamed for the second time in his life, making his head look like a bulb of brown. "We should do something with the wig though… the hair's kinda… _boring. _For now, we'll do the make-up, and worry about that later." She opened the cosmetic case sitting next to the iron and pulled out a small pencil.

"Oh _god. _Not the eyeliiii—ahh! _Kairi_!" She held him down in the chair by his shoulders with both of her hands, pencil entwined in two of her fingers.

"If you move, it won't be my fault when blood oozes out of your eyeballs. Seeing as those are the only _balls _you've got left…" she chuckled menacingly.

"Haha, very funny. Just make it quick, please," Sora begged. A small part of him was starting to think this really had been a bad idea after all.

Five minutes later, when Sora's face was all "pretty," Kairi was shoveling through shirt after shirt and pair after pair of pants. And Sora got to wear them all. "Dammit, Kairi!" he finally shouted, clad in a pair of jeans that hardly fit him. "Don't you have any freakin' _skirts_?"

"You like them better?" she inquired, lifting an eyebrow with a smile. "Maybe _that's _why you insisted on wearing my clothes instead…"

"Yes—I mean, _no_, but your jeans are too tight! At least skirts are roomier…" He tried to pry in-between the hem of the jeans and his hip without much success.

"Hm… let's see. Try _this _one for your size." A flying blur of red smacked Sora in the face, and he picked it up from the floor to gaze at it. It was a long, candy apple skirt. Blinking a few times, Sora stared at it. "Well, try it on, Fluffy."

"Fluffy?" Sora shot a glare at the redhead.

"Your head is a fluff ball," she explained nonchalantly.

So it was finally decided. Sora wore the same skirt (while wearing a pair of Kairi's track shorts underneath) and a black, low-cut shirt. Of course, he had a white tank top underneath to hide his lack of cleavage, along with a white denim jacket on top. He wore brown sandals as well, though they didn't _quite _match the outfit. They were the closest thing Sora had to "dress shoes" for girls.

"Hm, what are we missing…"

"Well… the part where I cry miserably because I'm cross-dressing… _again_…"

"No. First of all, you're missing the wig. But we also need… _accessories_!" Immediately, she swooped down and picked the jewelry box up from her dresser top. It only took two seconds before Kairi had two pink-clear crystal earrings and a necklace with a pink orb strung on it picked out.

As she put the necklace around Sora's neck, he asked quietly, "Kairi, how are you going to get those earrings on? My ears aren't pierced."

"I know. They're clip-ons." She fastened them on to Sora's earlobes, who gave a surprised yelp at the first clip. "Oh, come on, it didn't hurt _that _much."

"Are we done yet?" he whined.

"Just about." Picking up the wig, her face scrunched in thought. "What to do with this though…"

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's too long to just let it hang down like that. Plus it's… really boring. Hmm… ah ha!" She began to fasten the hair on top of Sora's brunet locks with bobby pins. "I've got it. It's simple and it won't hurt a bit."

"I'm suddenly _more _frightened…" he murmured.

After a few more minutes, Sora felt the tugging and pulling stop. Kairi clasped her hands together and cheered. "I love myself _so _much sometimes. Go see what you look like, Sora." She pointed to the giant mirror sitting on the floor. For the first time in a few hours, Sora walked to it and almost stumbled backwards on the floor at the sight he saw.

He looked perfectly like a girl. And not just any girl. A very pretty girl. A very pretty girl with very pretty braided hair.

For a moment, he wondered if it was a trick, so he reached out to touch. The doppelganger also held out his hand out to the boy. Sora heard Kairi giggle again.

"See? Aren't I a mastermind genius?"

A pause before he replied, "No, just really good at helping me cross-dress."

She crossed her arms at Sora, who smirked. "Close enough to genius."

"Yeah, sure." He shot her a smile that whispered _thank you _before looking back at his reflection. "Maybe I _can _pull this off…"

"Of course you can. Just have fun, okay?"

"Right. Oh, yeah, when's Riku picking me up again?"

"You… don't remember? Let's see…" She looked at the clock, which read 3:05. "Five minutes ago."

"WHAT?" Sora's eyes widened as he was out of Kairi's room, tripping over his skirt. He hobbled down the steps and scampered down the hall. He burst through the front door and panted and looked around. "No one's… here…"

"He's late, dummy," Kairi explained. "Calm down."

"Well, I mean, I thought…" But he was quieted as a navy blue car pulled up in front of the house. The driver stepped out, silver hair shining as soon as rays of sunlight hit it. Riku.

"Dora… you…" A maddening blush covered Riku's face instantly. Sora's cheeks mimed the gesture as the older boy walked to him. "You look… amazing."

"So do you." Riku had come in a perfectly fitting dark blue tank top and faded jeans. His hair was tied back in a low ponytail, bangs still hanging in and around his face. The sight made Sora just want to melt into a puddle. "Y-you drive?"

"I have been for a few weeks, yeah. I'm sixteen." He smile was sweet and almost bashful. "So… I thought we could go to the amusement park today. Is that okay with you?"

"That sounds fun! I'd love to!" He got himself riled up before he could stop the emotions from coming.

"Have fun, you two!" Kairi waved as Riku escorted Sora back to the car. He opened the passenger door for the younger, who blushed more as he climbed in. Riku shut the door and rounded the car, getting in the driver's side and settling in his seat. Then they drove off towards the park, plans working in motion.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Love or Ache of a Heart**_

* * *

Meanwhile, Cloud lay in his bed, staring at the blank, white ceiling. His mind felt like gears that had begun to rust, unable to work properly. So many things cluttered his uneasy mind.

_Sora… _What could Sora hate himself so much for? He couldn't imagine why his brother belittled himself so much. Had this been going on before he even came to the house so many years ago? Why hadn't Cloud realized anything was wrong before? How could he be so dense?

Why was he so blind? Sora wasn't the pathetic one, _he _was…

Cloud tried to revert his thoughts elsewhere, rolling out of his bed and turning on his CD Player at full volume. He could feel the floor under his feet shake, but he refused to care. He had to make his mind focus on other things, even if that meant damaging his ears.

—_and I know you're out there  
So maybe if I reached for the stars  
The distance wouldn't seem so far_

_Nothing else has changed here  
The skies are still blue  
The people still come and go  
But I wish it wasn't you_

_God, I wish it wasn't you…_

Depressing. Cloud changed to the next song.

_(hot hot) It's so (hot hot)  
Somehow this might not be right  
But it's one o' clock at night  
I'm feeling the heat rise in here  
Let's get a party in gear_

_It so much hotter  
When it's naughtier  
This should be so wrong but it feels so damn good  
We're shouting so loud it's shakin' the neighborhood…_

_Goddammit! _He just shut the radio off all together.

_Pull yourself together Cloud. _He groaned out loud, laying his head in his lap. _You're fine. You're fine…_

He was so depressed and so mixed up… Sora, Leon, Sephiroth… why did his problems revolve around _people_?

"I need a drive. I just need to go out on a drive. A nice country drive will make me feel better…" He wobbled out of bed and grabbed his car keys, leaving the room and hopefully his negative thoughts behind.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Love or Ache of a Heart**_

* * *

"This is it." Riku held Sora's hand as they entered the park together.

"Wow…" Sora's eyes lit up as his eyes explored his surroundings. Screaming people, the strong smell of food, rides flying on the tracks… now thinking about it, amusement parks were sort of a weird place to go on a date, but hey… Sora wasn't complaining.

"So, what do you wanna do first?" Riku offered, holding out his free hand.

"I… want to go on a ride!"

Riku chuckled. "Okay, well, which one?"

"Umm…" He bit his lip in thought. "Let's look around a bit first and decide then. We'll start… this way!" Escaping his date's light grip, Sora ran to the path to their left.

"Hey, wait for me!" Laughing, Riku chased after him.

Sora stopped to look a haunted house ride. Electronic beasts moved restrictively, lights flashed, and empty carts pulled around the outside before re-entering the house. He paused to observe the ride, and with a crooked smile suggested, "Hey, let's go on this one!"

There was a look of shock that crossed Riku's face. "You want to go… on a _haunted house ride_?"

"I like being surprised. It's fun! Come on, please?" Sora put on his best puppy face.

"Well, I have no arguments; I just didn't think you'd like something like that."

"Sure I do!" He hopped towards the paying booth. The sign read two dollars to ride. "Two please!" Sora chirped, putting a five on the counter.

"Dora!" Riku shouted. "Don't you dare pay for me!"

"Too late!" The boy took his one-dollar bill in change and two tickets. "You can pay for me next time if it bothers you so much."

"You bet it does! The gentleman always pays for the…"

"The?..."

"Well, everything!"

"Lighten up… and while you're at it, catch the next car on the ride." Sora walked onto the small wooden platform, followed by Riku. The man stopped the car and let them settle in.

"Happy riding…" he called in a creepy voice, which kind of freaked Riku out, but amused Sora.

"See ya later!" the younger boy called as the car entered the dark house.

First, it was just darkness. Sora braced himself for a scare, unconsciously gripping Riku's hand. Then dim lights flickered, showing pathetically fake looking statues on the right side of the cart that was _supposed _to be too close for comfort. Both boys just stared at them.

"This isn't going to be scary, is it Riku?"

"No, I believe not."

The lights were gone again, but a board flashing a picture of a monster appeared on the wall. They cackled. The cart turned, and darkness came again. Seconds later the cart rolled through a couple of strings from the ceiling, which did make Sora jump.

"Wow. This is… _real _scary," Riku joked.

"Yeah, no kidding."

There were a couple more utterly pathetic statues (and by that time they were in hysterics) before the cart was on the small outside track that Sora had seen from outside the ride. A giant monster on the side seemed to have a woman's leg hanging from its mouth.

"That date ended well," Riku commented.

Sora feigned fear. "Don't do that to me, okay?"

The previously mentioned monster gave a roar as its eyes glowed. The car rolled back into the house and more strings from the ceiling gave startled Sora.

Both could tell that they were nearing the end of the ride by the path they had taken. The last thing they saw was a man behind in a glass window, screaming, "BLEEEAAAAH" as red liquid (blood, perhaps?) spilled out of his moving jaw. Sora again shouted, "He's puking fruit punch!"

The boys continued to cackle as the cart made its way to the end. As the cart began to pull out of the house, there was a sudden object that flew into Sora's face, causing him to scream. It was just that man with a stupid puppet.

Stupid, stupid man with a stupid, _stupid _puppet after a stupid, stupid ride.

But all the same, a group of teenagers passing by and Riku were laughing at him.

"Yeah, I know, it was that scary."

"Shut up!" Sora pouted, jumping out once the car stopped moving. "It _surprised _me."

"Hmm, okay." Riku thanked the man (for the laughs, of course) before the two were out walking again. "Let's try to find something more… fun, hmm?"

"What, that wasn't? We busted our guts laughing."

"Yeah, but that's not quite… the _kind _of fun I was looking for. Of course, if you don't like roller coasters…"

"Hell yeah I do!" Sora shouted. "Okay, so... ooh, what about that one?" He pointed to a tall roller coaster, zooming about on the tracks.

"Sure, looks fast enough." Riku crossed his arms, as if evaluating it. "It's… six bucks per ride. Worth it in your book?"

"Duh!" Sora ran towards the counter until Riku shouted out.

"Wait, Dora!" He stopped in place and turned on his heel, smile slowly fading into a look of confusion.

For a second, the image mirrored a memory and a person Riku would have rather forgotten…

And melted into Sora's own face…

And then Riku snapped back into reality. "I told you I'd pay for you! Remember?"

"But I paid for a ride for two bucks… you're paying for this ride for _six _bucks!"

"So? A deal's a deal." Riku slapped a ten and two ones on the counter. "Too late now."

"Riiiku!" He was being pulled by the wrist onto the platform for the next departure. "Fine, fine, geez, don't have to take off my entire hand…"

So, after fighting who was going to pay for what rides as they rode them, Sora and Riku finally settled down for a six o' clock dinner at a small café. "It's starting to get colder outside… you didn't even bring a jacket with you, did you?"

Riku rubbed his arms with his hands to produce a small source of heat. "I left my sweatshirt… in the car…"

"Then let's go get it!" Sora rose from his chair, but Riku shook his head.

"We ordered our food already, silly. We can't just up and leave. We'll grab it after, okay?"

The other plopped right back into his seat. Riku hummed a chuckle.

"So, Dora… how have you been?"

"Fine," he said quietly. "I've been okay. And what about you?"

"Same." Already there was nothing else to say. The quiet was a little discomforting.

So instead Sora peered down at a little advertising card sitting on the table. As he read it, the older took a long look at him. He was nibbling at his lip subconsciously as his eyes darted back and forth.

Those blue eyes reminded him of Sora, but that pretty face reminded him of Ro—

_No. _He wouldn't dare think of him, his _name _ever again. Just trying to forget made him furious, and then depressed.

No. He was on a date with Dora. He wouldn't get himself in a foul mood just because _he _was on his mind again.

Sora seemed to notice his mental vacation. "Riku… Earth to Riku!" He snapped out of his daze. "You okay? Something on your mind?"

"Nothing important." He sighed. "Just thinking… of a friend."

"A friend?" He cocked his head to the side, his blonde braid shifting along his shoulder.

"Yeah." Letting the conversation drop, both were back out in the own little worlds. It was Sora's turn to steal a glance at the other.

His green eyes were turned out to another table, watching the customers without actually observing. This was the real, unmasked Riku. The Riku he saw at school was often quiet and distant… but here he was looking like a distant dreamer.

Riku's eyes shifted back to Sora's, and blue locked with green. A sudden feeling of déjà vu hit them both, and they looked away, blushing.

When they looked back at each other, the awkwardness fell. Sora's feelings were so strong for Riku that it was nearly tangible, and Riku reciprocated those sentiments. But Riku lost the feeling of the moment when something just barely caught his eye.

There in Sora's hair was a single brunet lock, sticking out among the blonde bangs. He stared at it a moment longer, trying to see if it was a trick of the lighting. No, no, it was definitely brown. But why…

And then, he realized.

"Riku?" Riku tore his gaze from Sora's hair to his blue eyes. They were Sora's eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sora was talking in a higher register, but that was definitely his voice too.

No wonder he had tried so hard to convince Riku that he had no connection to Dora…

What _was _a wonder was why he hadn't figured it out sooner! It was so goddamned simple and obvious! His name even _rhymed!_

In an ordinary situation, one would freak out. A boy dating another boy? Ew.

But Riku wasn't ordinary. But that was a story not worth remembering. He had convinced himself he would never trust others again, and that he had just gone through a phase.

But even just being with Sora… even if he _was _posing as a girl… was enough to make him reconsider.

"That's it! This weather must be making your brain freeze! Come on, we're grabbing your jacket!" Again, Riku came back to reality just in time to see Sora making attempts to march out to the car.

"No—sit down!" Sora froze in his spot, excluding his confused blinking. "I'm sorry—I'll stop daydreaming."

"...fine." Once more, Sora dropped back down into the chair. "Tell me though. Are you still sick? Um, Kairi told me that you were getting over a stomach virus and…"

It was funny how that wasn't really the truth. Sora had been there to take care of him. "I'm fine. I just can't eat as much food as I usually do, or I'll end up tasting it again."

Sora stuck out his tongue. "Ugh, Riku, don't spoil my appetite before the food comes!"

"Speaking of food…" Riku jerked his head to point out the waiter behind Sora. Twisting his body to see, Sora peered around to see a man carrying two plates in his hands.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Love or Ache of A Heart**_

* * *

Car seated at a department store parking lot, Cloud gripped the wheel so hard that his knuckles begun to turn white. He willed himself not to cry. He was just so stressed; about Sora, about Leon, about… everything.

The radio was as loud as it could go… with every window up. His ears were probably beyond repair, but that was a comfort compared to the retching ache in his heart. _Dammit… how can I…_

Cloud was the pathetic one. Something was wrong with his brother, but Sora just wouldn't confide in him about it. Someone was hurting him, and Cloud just wanted to make it stop.

There were a couple of soft dings on the window. When Cloud noticed and looked out his window, he screamed. Not that it was heard over the music…

It was Leon, staring in at Cloud.

The blonde turned down the music, and could feel his ears ringing as he put down the window. "Leon?..."

"I seem to run into you every day now, don't I? You realize if you keep up that atrociously loud music, you're going to go _deaf_?"

"I don't really care," he groaned, laying his head on the wheel

"Did you come to buy something, or?..."

"I needed to stop driving before I ran into a light pole."

"So you pulled into a parking lot."

"And why are _you _here?"

"To buy myself a couple of blank CDs and a new comforter for my bed. And as I was putting this crap in my car, I happened to notice the extremely loud music and thought to myself, 'Who the hell is playing that obnoxious music?' And when I looked to see, I recognized the car."

"Oh."

There was a small pause in their conversation. Leon could definitely tell Cloud was messed up over _something. _He could be just depressed—but at this point, there really had to be something bothering him.

"Why don't you hop in my car? I'll take you home."

"I don't want to go home."

So… maybe whatever was bothering him was at home. Or… maybe he just wanted to get away?

"Then… I'll take you to my house."

"What about _my _car?"

Why did he have to be so stubborn? "Do you think you could drive yourself to my house, then?"

"I… maybe."

"Maybe is not a good answer. Leave your car here, and I'll take you over."

"Leon, what if someone broke into my car while I'm gone?"

"What's the possibility of _that_? You say that like it's so common."

"Okay, okay. But if my car's stolen—"

"It won't be. Stop worrying."

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Love or Ache of a Heart**_

* * *

"So… wanna ride that?"

"I was thinking about it when I saw it… but it looks kinda scary." Sora looked up at the giant ride. It was an extremely tallride that had four seats, two on one side, and two with their backs to that. The seats hung from a tall pole that was held by four other poles in the center, and it was designed to spin in complete 360º turns. The seats flipped around when they reached the top and completed the entire circle.

Now that the sun had begun to set, red lights on the sides of the main pole lit up, and blurred together as the contraption spun at a frighteningly high speed.

The ride looked like it could kill somebody with improper restraints… but at the same time, it looked like a daredevil's treat. Sora wasn't a daredevil by any stretch of the imagination, but he wasn't a chicken either.

"You don't have to ride it. I'll go by myself if you don't mind, though." He was wearing a tan hooded sweatshirt, which looked rather comfortable to Sora. His jean jacket was getting quite uncomfortable.

"Well, um… yeah, you can go ahead." Sora wasn't anticipating _killing _himself over a dumb amusement park ride. No thanks.

"Okay, I'll see you when I'm done then." He ran up to the counter, being the first in line for the next round.

Looking at it, Sora _really _wanted to give a try… but the ride scared him.

The three riders (there was an empty seat) jumped off while chortling loudly. They had ridden it and were still alive…

Ah, to hell with it!

Sora ran up through the line and put down a ten. "I'd like to ride, please!"

The man didn't hand him a ticket along with his two dollars of change, but just pointed towards the ride. Sora climbed the stairs and walked along the high platform. Riku was fastening the seatbelt as the younger jumped in the seat next to him.

"Changed your mind?"

"Yeah." He buckled his own seat. "Though I'm still scared…"

"It'll be all right." Riku patted the only part of Sora he could reach with his arm—his lap. "Nothing's gonna happen."

"Says you." Sora groaned, the building fear rollicking in his stomach. He was _so _glad he wore shorts underneath his skirt…

Another two random people got on the ride before another employee strapped down a huge restraint down on the riders. It had two metal handgrips on each side for the completely obvious.

Holding them so hard that you can't feel your fingers afterwards.

The employee ran down the steps and the platform suddenly lowered, leaving eight feet dangling in the air. The intensity of the ride and _just _what would happen if the restraints failed to stay in place occurred to Sora.

"Riku… I think I want off."

"Too late, now. It's already started."

"No. I think… I _really _want off."

The car began to move. "And I _really _think it's too late now."

And _zoom, _the boys were going into the air backwards. The car reached the top of the circle in a matter of two seconds, and they could see almost the entire park. Sora shrieked as the car when back down the other side and rounded again.

Riku, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. "ISN'T THIS FUN?" he shouted.

"OH MY GOD!" The ride was spinning faster… at least, that's what it felt like. "NO! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

Each time the car rounded the top and towards the front, Sora could feel himself being catapulted right into the restraint. He held the grips as hard as he possibly could, but he still was flung forcefully into the restraint each time the cars flipped upside down. He could see the ground many, many feet below where he could just imagine himself going _splat._

Sora officially _hated _peer pressure.

It was a long minute before the car finally slowed and stopped again. Sora was panting like mad as they were freed from their seats, while Riku was still chuckling. "That was fun!"

"It… was I guess... it would have been _more _fun had it not been so scary." Riku and Sora began to walk off and away from the ride.

"You're just easy to scare, I thought that was extremely fun."

"You know what's extremely fun?"

"What?"

"Ferris wheels."

Sitting in a car of their own, Riku and Sora sat next to each other and gazed at the park below. So many twinkling lights and little people below… it rather fascinated Sora. He hadn't seen anything like it before—he was so used to be trapped in that damn house.

It was like a dream to Sora. He thought of Cinderella, the girl who had the heart of a princess but was forced to be a maid. While Sora didn't think of himself of dressing as a princess, it was a costume to hide who he truly was from Riku. It was a close enough comparison.

"Isn't it pretty up here?" Sora asked, still peering out.

Riku, on the other hand, was feeling fairly optimistic. That night with Sora had been fun, _very _fun… and, rather, sex really didn't matter to Riku. It was what inside the heart that really counted. And Sora was cute…

Maybe during that time, that time that felt so long ago, maybe it wasn't a phase. Maybe it was his heart beginning to blossom and understand love—and how much it can hurt.

"_Then we can actually do something fun, as friends."_

Or even more than just friends… if he was willing. Sora went as far as to cross-dress for him… but did he actually _like _Riku?

"_We went over this. I'm not gay."_

He still liked girls. He… didn't really know what he was. Bisexual, maybe?

Maybe now his heart needed to learn and understand how wonderful love can be too.

"Hey… S—Dora."

"Hm?" Sora glimpsed at him, curiosity glittering in his eyes.

"Did you have a good time?"

"A great time!" he shouted. "This is the best date I've ever been on!—er, okay, this is the _first _date I've ever been on… so it's still the best!"

Riku chuckled. "I feel the same way."

Nervously, Sora laid his hands in his lap. "I'm… glad." He looked down at his hands, silently observing the shape of them. He was trying to keep his mind on other things so he wouldn't feel so shy, but it was hard. Very hard.

"Dora." Sora jumped, looking over at Riku. He took his soft face in his right hand, rubbing a thumb over the cheek. And Riku knew—that no matter if it was Dora, or Sora, or… whatever, he had feelings for him. "Let me thank you for such a great date."

Without thinking of the potential consequences, Sora complied into the gentle kiss.

He could taste the sugar of the soda Riku had right before they got on the Ferris wheel, and he breathed deeper as lips pressed harder against his own. He heard Riku's loud breathing as they lingered a little longer in the moment.

They pulled barely two inches away from each other. "Riku…" Sora spoke without disguise in his tone—it was deep, and unintentionally sultry. "You…"

"You didn't want me to kiss you?" His heart sank. Maybe Sora was just doing this for him after all.

"No, it's not that." His voice remained deep. Did he realize that he wasn't doing it? "You shouldn't kiss me. You don't… you don't know me."

"So you _don't _want me to kiss you." Riku began to pull away, but Sora reached out and grabbed the front of Riku's shirt, pulling him in for another kiss. It was something quite unexpected for the older—seeing as how he thought Sora really didn't want it.

But… maybe he did after all…

"_You don't… you don't know me."_

_I think I do._

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Love or Ache of a Heart**_

* * *

"What did you _do_?" Cloud lifted the red comforters from the floor, looking at a giant, dark brown stain across it.

"Damn Pepsi," Leon murmured, putting the new dark blue comforter on his bed. "Soda is dangerous here."

The stained comforter felt like it had just been washed. Cloud wrapped himself in it just for the hell of it—plus it was kind of cold in Leon's house. So warm… "I tried washing the stain out earlier today, but it wouldn't come out. If you like it so much, go ahead and take it for all I care."

Finished with his bed, Leon flopped on the mattress. Cloud crawled on beside Leon, wrapping the material closer to him as he sat Indian style. "Leon… I need help."

_Finally, he's going to tell me, _Leon thought. It had been bothering him since he had seen Cloud in the car. "What's the matter?"

Cloud breathed deeply to brace himself. "I need help. I'm having trouble… something's wrong with Sora, and… Leon, he's got bruises! Someone's bullying him or he's hurting himself… "

Cloud buried himself in Leon's warmth with his head on his chest. He wasn't sure why he kept turning to Leon for help. Although Leon nearly sexually assaulted him (but only nearly) he still trusted him with his problems.

"And he hasn't told you anything?"

"Just that he blames himself for it."

"Well, he may tell you eventually. It'll probably take him some time." Leon raked a hand through Cloud's hair. Cloud didn't fight against it. "It'll work out, somehow."

As Cloud enjoyed the massage of Leon's fingers, the thought of Sora pricked the corner of Cloud's heart. He _knew _that feeling, but he refused to accept it. It would only add onto the stress. And yet…

"Something else is on your mind."

Cloud didn't want to address it. Even Leon, as open as he seemed to be to listening to Cloud's problems, might find this a little strange. So Cloud said nothing.

"You can tell me. It's okay."

Cloud sighed. He wasn't sure what made him confess. Maybe it was the way that Leon opened himself up to Cloud. Maybe it was the way he held him there, combing his hair. Or for whatever other possible reason, Cloud was able to speak it.

"Leon… I think I may have… _feelings _for Sora."

* * *

**A/N: So a few things.**

**At first, I really wanted to take out the Cloud/Sora. The idea isn't that appealing. But even when I originally wrote this, I understood the gravity of what that meant for Cloud. Therefore to save some editing time and preserve the originality of this fic, I decided to keep it. I know it's weird, but right off the bat I will **_**promise **_**you this won't turn into some weirdo half brother fantasy thing. D: Yeaaah.**

**The amusement park in this story was based off an amusement park that I went to the first night I was in Europe—Prater Park in Vienna, Austria. A picture of the ride Sora thought he was going to die on is posted in my profile. Editing this brought back some good memories.**

**Plowing through… almost to the 100 page mark! Yeah! :D**


	12. The Doors Begin to Open

_**February 1, 2012**_  
**A/N: This chapter isn't too long. Sorry.**

* * *

_**Cinderfella **_

_Chapter 12 – The Doors Begin to Open_

"So, Dora…" Riku asked, concentration elsewhere besides his driving. "Do you want me to drop you off at Kairi's house?"

"Yes, please," Sora chirped. His spirits seemed to be higher than when they had gone to park; perhaps the kiss had set a spell on him.

Riku chuckled at the thought.

"Why are you laughing?" Sora pouted in response. The older stopped momentarily, and then just smiled. "_Well_?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Yes it is! Tell me!"

"Dora!" He laughed louder now, reaching his right hand over to tousle the blonde hair. But before his fingers could grace the blonde locks, a tanner hand swapped his away. His heart skipped a beat. He almost forgot—it was a wig, and Sora didn't know that Riku was quite knowledgeable of the situation at hand.

"Oh—I didn't mean—I wasn't trying—"

"I'm sorry, I'll get focused on the road so I don't crash the car," Riku piped up, trying to save Sora from awkward babbling. He rested both hands on the wheel and sat back in the driver's seat. "I'm a good driver, I promise."

"You had better be, you've been going 20 miles over the speed limit the entire trip."

Sora seemed mildly upset as he spoke his opinion. "Do you want me to slow down?"

"As long as you can control the car and not get caught, I don't care. At _least _you have the music at a decent level… Cloud practically bursts my eardrums with the music so damn loud."

There was an awkward silence. Sora couldn't quite understand what was wrong about what he said.

Riku tried to utter something until he finally spat out, "Cloud? Cloud Strife?"

Sora realized that the name _Cloud _gave it away.

"Um, y-yeah. He's my—my cousin!"

Another silence. "Is Sora your cousin too?"

He was running out of lies—why must his clever brain die on him now! "Umm… yes."

Now Riku was gonna hammer him later when he _wasn't _in drag about why he couldn't just tell him the "truth" from the beginning. Oh well, he had plenty of time to think about that later. At least it seemed to make sense for the time being.

Too bad the hard thinking was in vain. "I see."

The rest of the ride home was absent of conversation save for the radio. Sora shuffled his feet against the soft carpet mat below, and Riku tried to keep his mind on the wheel instead of the boy beside him.

Should he tell Sora that he knew the truth? Should he keep it a secret? It was too weird to bring up now… and he couldn't be _positive _that Sora liked him—or even that Riku liked the Sora first. It was a bundle of unidentifiable emotions that Riku couldn't keep straight.

For a moment, he considered asking Sephiroth about it—but he scowled inwardly at the thought of even approaching his older brother about his romance issues.

He felt himself lose control, made clear when he nearly ran into a van. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sora flailing about, but his yelling only echoed in the back of his mind.

The car slowly rolled past Sora's house, and the blonde ducked about three inches down into his seat. Riku observed this, thinking he knew the real reason why.

Unfortunately, Riku didn't know the entire story on that.

Sora, meanwhile, was cursing over and over like a mantra in his mind. Now he'd have to sneak into the house through his window—something he'd never attempted before. That was Kairi's job.

At least he managed to lie to his father that he was going over to Kairi's to help him study—but if he found out he really wasn't there, he was toast.

And Kairi didn't know of what he'd told his father, so if he had done something like call her house to see where he was at, he could easily find out.

When the car finally stopped in front of his neighbor's house, Riku took a moment to lean over to seal the date with a kiss. "Shall we go out again?"

_Again? What a thought! _It was a way to spend time with Riku—except for the whole lying thing. But would Sora even be able to pull it off again? "Um… yeah. We'll have to plan another date."

"Tell Sora I said hi," he winked. "And… g'night."

"Good night." The blonde jumped out of the car and waved goodbye before slamming it shut and watched Riku drive right back out of his life.

As soon as the blue car was out of sight, Sora was jumped. He squealed loudly, and looked back to see the attacker. "Kairi! What the—"

"Oooh… I saw it! He kissed you! That's so sweet and romantic!" she cooed. "He _does_ like you Sora! You two _need _to go out again!"

"Kairi—ack—can't breathe…"

The redhead realized that her death-grip wasn't helping her best friend get oxygen at all. She slacked her hold enough to let him breathe. "So? I take it the date was good?"

"It was amazing…" he whispered. "But I gotta get over to my house before my dad sees me." He tried to walk, but Kairi's embrace limited him. She let go and walked him into her house to remove his disguise.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Doors Begin to Open**_

* * *

"Cloud."

It was then that he fell apart, crying bitterly. Leon shook his head. He didn't ever imagine that Cloud would have fallen for Sora—well, that was a lie, but he only imagined that in a twisted reality. Sobs shook the boy's body, and he wrapped the red comforter around him tighter. He buried his face in the soft material, muffling his cries of anguish.

"Cloud…"

He lifted his head just enough so that he could speak understandably. "Leon, I don't know what to do. I know you must be the last person who wants to hear this… but I think you might the only person close to understanding."

While hearing that his crush had feelings for his brother was utterly heartbreaking, he knew that Cloud hadn't wished for it. And why turn him away for such an unbearable pain? All Cloud needed at that moment was a soft embrace and words of comfort. An admission like this would have been shunned by almost anyone else. But Leon had more heart than the average person would think.

"Shh… it'll be okay." He wrapped his arms around the bundle of red, feeling the curves of Cloud underneath. "Don't cry."

"What should I do?"

"Forget and move on."

"What? But… but I can't forget!"

"Accept the fact that Sora's going to fall in love with other people, and that you'll never be together. If you do that, then you'll be able to leave the pain behind. You won't probably completely _forget, _but… you won't feel the hurt anymore."

Cloud took a moment to contemplate Leon's words. "But you don't think I should go get help? Like a psychiatrist or somethin'?"

Leon shook his head. "You won't need one, so long as you don't blow the situation out of proportion." He tucked a hand into one of the folds of the comforter and wrapped it around Cloud's shoulders.

In reaction, Cloud let the sheets roll off him and crept into Leon's embrace. He buried his wet face into a warm collarbone, Leon not seeming to mind whatsoever. "I'm sorry, Leon. I'm so so sorry…"

"Don't apologize. It'll be alright, I promise." He tightened his grip around Cloud who seemed to just collapse. His sobs were subdued to sniffles, and the tense muscles relaxed. It was all Cloud really needed—to know that things would be okay, someday.

"I don't want to see Sora beat himself up over things that aren't real," he murmured. "I just want him to be happy… but maybe I want to be _too _much a part… of that…" He spoke no more, exhaustion lulling him to sleep.

When Leon knew that his friend was asleep, he pressed his lips into the fuzz ball of blonde hair and murmured a goodnight.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Doors Begin to Open**_

* * *

Loud footsteps ascended the staircase. _Thump. Thump. Thump._

Meanwhile, a pair of sandals attempted to climb the fence against the wall, hands weakly gripping in the diagonal spaces. A hand grappled the white windowsill, and one foot scrambled to find a grip.

In the house, the stair-climber glided his hand right off the handrail and turned down the hallway, a certain destination in mind. He was silent, save the feet that softly touched the carpeted floor.

The boy outside hoisted himself around the sill with one foot so he sat with one leg on each side of the ledge. He could hear the man outside his bedroom door, so without so much as a second thought he flung himself right onto the floor. Thenoise made was startlingly loud.

Sora tried to scramble to his bed, but halted when the door opened. "What are you _doing_?" The intruder asked, his voice cold as ice.

"I was sleeping, but I fell off my bed," he quickly lied, his arms sprawled across the mattress. "So… I woke up."

"Stupid bastard," he murmured. "Get on your feet, now." Sora stood shakily, already fearing the fate his father had in store for him. "We need to talk."

Sora was silent as his guardian stepped into his territory slowly. Had he found out? Oh god… He was glad that he had changed back into his regular clothes, but he hoped that the possible trace of remaining make-up or his tamed hair hadn't given away his previous encounters.

"You've been absent for the past few days," he said. "But because you covered for me with Cloud and I'm in a good mood, I'm going to let it slide this time. Don't expect mercy again next time; you'd better keep up with your work."

That was all he said before he turned, pausing on his foot. "By the way… what's with the hair?"

"Uhh… Kairi wanted to do it after we were done with our studying," he fibbed.

Ansem shook his head, still not facing his adoptive son. "Idiot." He then walked away, and the brunet heaved a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe he had just gotten away with the past few nights _and _he hadn't found out about his date. Lady Luck must have been shining on him that night.

_But wait… how did he know about Cloud?..._

Maybe his brother had gone back to explain what had happened later. He could only assume that.

Then trying to make himself feel better, Sora remembered the kiss, and almost had a heart-attack as he fell backwards onto his bed. He relived the memory in his head over and over, ready to cross-dress in almost _anything _if it meant going out with Riku again. It made him forget everything else in his life for the moment, and it washed away all the ache in his heart.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Doors Begin to Open**_

* * *

_Monday Afternoon…_

"And that's why you shouldn't smoke," Riku concluded in the most cliché way possible. The class gave a weak, "we-should-care-but-we-actually-couldn't-care-less" applause, and the boys returned to their seats with the relief to have the project finally over with.

"Is that all for our projects?" the female teacher asked, receiving no answer whatsoever. "All right, then! You'll have a test next Monday on smoking—"

The class groaned.

"Don't complain or I'll make it Thursday!" Sweet silence, until the bell began to ring and the students bustle out of the classroom noisily. "See you all in gym tomorrow!" But her words were unheard as students rushed to get to their study halls.

Sora did his usual rushing up the stairs, but stumbled on a step along the way. He felt a hand pat his shoulder, and turned to see Riku. He nearly blushed.

"Careful there, Sora. We're going back to period one today, right?" Sora nodded silently. "Then we can walk back together."

Surrounding students seemed curious to Riku's outspoken mood, but none bothered to question. "Umm… yeah. Okay." Although they were friends, it was still awkward considering the date from the previous week. "I hate biology."

"Join the club," Riku snorted, clamoring up the rest of the stairs.

In study hall, Sora used the time to begin reading Wild Daises again. He had been reading the previous night up to chapter thirty-five, the one Kairi had asked him about. Curious to what the chapter could possibly hold, he flipped the book and began to dive right into the story. About two pages in and he found himself reading something he should have saved for later.

* * *

_He looked so gentle. It was as if all my pain was taken away by that one smile he held, as weak as it was._

"_Mark…" I whispered, holding him close. "I thought, I thought I was going to lose you."_

"_Jason…" he replied quietly, his voice shaking. "I thought I was going to lose _myself_."_

_He began to cry, and I kissed away his tears. Before I knew it, my lips were exploring sweet, dear Mark, as they trailed along his jawline, down his neck…_

* * *

Sora continued to read more, and realized this was no child's book. As much as he was well aware that he should have stopped reading, he was strangely curious for more.

_He began to shift awkwardly when he felt my hot breathe a—_

He squirmed in his seat nervously. He didn't know that Riku was distracted from his work and was carefully watching Sora. He noted a tint of blush on his cheeks and wondered what exactly Sora could be reading.

* * *

_The zipper made a small "rip" sound before the bond on our feverish hunger was broken free, and I took—_

* * *

There were a few more seconds until the loud SLAM of the book being closed disturbed the quiet room. Twenty-three faces and a teacher's perplexed look turned on Sora. His face was practically glowing with red. "Um… could I go to the bathroom?" he asked quietly. The teacher mutely nodded, and he dashed out as fast as he could.

Riku could tell it that it was from the book. He was able to have the secret, sinful enjoyment of watching Sora go slowly from reading casually to nervously biting his lip until he'd become completely flustered. If he hadn't been so many seats back, he would have reached out and started reading this book himself.

Instead, he raised his hand but said without the acknowledgment to speak, "Um, could I use the bathroom as well?"

"Go ahead," the teacher said, more focused on grading papers than the declining number of students in her classroom.

Riku smiled and headed towards the nearest bathroom.

When he walked in he immediately bent over to look into the stalls. Only one was occupied, two yellow shoes peeking out. There was only one person he knew who actually wore those. "Sora," he called. "I know that's you."

"Y-you followed me?" he squeaked. "I-I-I mean… hi."

"Are you all right? Your face was completely red… are you sick?"

But Riku knew the truth (or at least, he made the assumption that he did,) and smiled, just imagining Sora's blush possibly getting worse."I-I'm fine."

"Sora?"

Behind the stall, Sora was plotting to crawl into a hole and bury himself in it. He couldn't get the cherry red out of his face if he tried and was doing his best to push dirty thoughts into the back of his mind to prevent another on-coming problem. He slammed his hand against the switch on the toilet once, trying to look like an innocent trip to the restroom. Stepping out, he knew his blush was still burning.

"Riku?" he finally replied, unable to look the other in the face as he began to wash his hands. He started the water and then pulled up his sleeves to prevent them from getting wet.

"You're still red."

"I'm fine, just hot."

"Well, no kidding, you're wearing a sweatshirt." He tugged on it a bit while Sora turned off the faucet. "Why don't you take it off?"

Sora gulped loudly as he was drying his hands. "I… guess so." He began to take it off, unaware that he was being carefully watched. Riku almost attacked the sliver of skin that showed under his t-shirt as he removed the other article of clothing. As Sora balled the dark blue sweatshirt in his arms, he jumped at the touch of a hand at his waist.

"Your shirt was pulled up," explained the older innocently.

Sora was fighting the more intense blush coming. "Uh… thanks."

They walked back into class together quietly, both trying to battle the great war of hormones.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Doors Begin to Open**_

* * *

"_Sora…" The brunette shivered at each touch. "Look at me." The voice wasn't warm or comforting—but it was cold, demanding._

"_Nngh," was all he could say. He couldn't even decide on "I hate you" or "I love you." He loved him, but he did not love this._

"_Look at me!" He was slapped across the face, and looked up to see the man above him. It was Riku… but somehow not. He wasn't aloof as his mask eluded him—he was far from _aloof_, but somehow he seemed familiar. Riku… but not _Riku_. "Little brat."_

_He began to cry. What happened? How did they even get here? He wanted to run back into time and start over or just to forget any of it at all. "Don't do this," he whispered. "Please don't."_

"_What's the matter? Scared?" Riku's green eyes darkened a shade, and suddenly, his face was Ansem's._

Sora's body flung up immediately with his awakening. In a matter of seconds, tears ran down his face. That wasn't Riku… that could never be Riku…

But he couldn't fight the tears. It hurt to let his mind even come near the thought—that someone he loved could ever become so abusive. Maybe his mother had seen the same in Ansem?

He lifted his trembling body from the bed and walked out into the hall, deciding some fresh air would help him. But he didn't even make it down the stairs as the vision of the dream haunted his mind again, and he fell to his knees with his hand in his palms.

It was only a dream, but it hurt so much to think about. That, if he ever had what he wanted, it would just hurt him in the end. His parents… they were dead. A new home… the head of the household could be Satan. His first love… it was with a _guy_…

The door Sora sat next to cracked opened, and an older boy's head peeked out. "Nnn?..." he groaned, confused. Sora only averted his eyes to see Cloud, but moved nothing else. Cloud seemed to jump to his senses and quickly kneeled by Sora. "Sora? What's wrong?"

He only shook his head and clung to Cloud quietly.

"Hey, hey… what is it?" Cloud took Sora into his arms and let him stay in his arms. Cloud was reminded of when Leon held him the other day.

"Just a nightmare," Sora replied. "It scared me."

Although Cloud had questions as to why a dream would make him so scared that it would make him cry, he said nothing. In a minute, Sora's trembling settled and became relaxed in Cloud's arms.

"I'm going to go outside," the younger said, lifting himself from the floor and going down the steps. "You can go back to bed and get some more sleep. Sorry I woke you up."

Sora had no more than a foot on a stair as Cloud said, "It's okay. If something happens, you can always come to me." But instead of following his brother like he would have liked to Cloud went back to bed. Sora, on the other hand, was glad to be alone. He went out the back door of the dining room and outside into the cold night air.

_I wonder how people can be so cold…_ he thought to himself as a shiver ran through his body. In a while he'd be okay and go back to bed, but for the moment he needed to clear his head and convince himself of reasons to keep trying. And, of course, how to thank Cloud for being the best brother someone could ever have.

And maybe, one day, he could tell Cloud everything…

* * *

_**February 1, 2012**_

**A/N: The end is in sight! I can feel it! I cut out some lyrics that were unnecessary. Otherwise, this is about the same. Whatevs.**


	13. The Key to Love

_**February 2, 2012**_

**A/N: Nothing major edited. I started allowing hair colors to be used to describe characters because I was tired of editing it out. But whatever!**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 13 – The Key to Love_

Darkness. Riku's eyes shifted to the clock on the bedside table, blinking 2:14. He groaned softly, rolling on his right side to turn away from the alarm.

He always hated waking up in the middle of the night. His mind would always buzz about, contemplating and reminiscing while he should be sleeping. This morning was no different as he wondered about Sora.

What was Sora doing now? Probably sleeping. But was he dreaming? He wondered what of. Was he dreaming of him? Why would he have a reason to?

Realizing that his eyes were open as he daydreamed, he forced them closed as he continued. Would Sora ever like him? Was being with him even a possibility? Riku began to drift into sleep, and Sora's hair began to become short and grew blonde. He became a memory that drifted from the back of Riku's mind to his initial thought, a moment in time so long ago shortly followed by it…

"_Riku! Give me the ball, would ya?" The younger Riku kicked a soccer ball between his feet. It was like he was trying to impress the blond boy, kicking in and out and around his legs._

"_Fine! But if you miss, you're chasing it!" Riku nudged the ball softly in front of him before smacking it with his foot, making a perfect pass to the blond._

"_I wouldn't miss it—I'm too good for that!" It wasn't meant to come across as bragging—but a plea to not treat him like a novice. "You know soccer's the only sport I actually _like_!"_

_Riku knew that quite well—it was the only thing the blond would play with him. "I don't know if you've ever tried any other sport, Roxas."_

"_Yeah, well—" He was about to say something, when another voice intruded._

"_Hey guys." A redheaded boy's head peeked over the yard fence. Roxas's blue eyes brightened and the ball was forgotten as he ran over to look up into a pair of green eyes._

"_Hiya Axel! Where've you been? I was trying to call you—"_

"_My mom made me go to the doctor's for a physical today."_

"_What, why?"_

"_I'm joining the soccer team."_

"_You… you are? That's so awesome! Then we can play together!"_

_The conversation continued, but their voices drifted into the scenery as Riku walked away, just as abandoned as the ball. Maybe Roxas had meant no harm in his actions, but it didn't take the pain away. What was Riku to him… just a distraction until the new neighbor boy came around? It wasn't fair, he and Roxas were friends first… (it's not as if he was going to expect Roxas to ever return his feelings, but friends was enough for him.)_

_Bitter tears swelled as Riku kicked a rock that skipped and rolled against the heated asphalt._

_As much as Riku wanted to be with Roxas now, it looked like the new comer, Axel, had won. It made the silver-headed boy never want to make friends—not to try anymore. _

"**This is 100.1, The Boiling Point—the station that brings the heat!" **Riku murmured incoherent words as the alarm clock waked him from the nightmare. He didn't want to move, his mind plagued by the memory. An old pop song came on, and Riku suffered as he attempted to cover his ears.

_**I got myself a notion  
And one I know that you'll understand  
To set the world in motion  
By reaching out for each other's hand**_

He changed the station by lazily reaching over and turning the knob until a station came clear. _Santa Clause is Comin' to Town. _God, it was December already? If there was one part of Christmas that he could complain about, it was that the radio played so many Christmas songs it made his head spin.

Riku rolled out of bed and smacked his head on the floor. He groaned, a headache already forming from the impact. He didn't want to go to school… he just wanted to lie there and dream. But to see Sora, he _had _to go to school. With that motivation in mind, Riku sprung to his feet.

"Riku!" his brother called from the living room. "Hurry up, or you'll gonna be late for school!"

The teen groaned as he swiped his backpack from the floor and slung the strap over his right shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." He ambled his way into the kitchen, grabbing his car keys from the small post on the wall. "See ya."

He arrived to school just as the five minute warning bell chimed. _I wasn't late, _thought Riku, just trying to find another reason to stay angry and hate Sephiroth. He walked into the Biology classroom and sat in his assigned seat, and waited for Sora to come in.

"I don't have the money to afford Christmas gifts—I'm sorry…"

"That's okay, Sora, you don't have to worry about it! You know we're all too cheap to buy each other anything."

Riku saw Tidus and Sora chatting as they walked into the science room. The brunet peered to where Riku was sitting and flashed the boy a quick smile, but then returned to his conversation with Tidus. Riku smiled back and pretended that he was just about to get his binder from his backpack, reaching down to where his backpack laid by his desk. The second bell rang and the students scrambled to their seats.

The period began with a movie, one that the majority of the class slept through. Riku stared down at his worksheet.

_Give two examples of food chains shown in the video._

Then he looked around to find that many of his fellow classmates were snoozing the hour and a half away on their desks. There was one kid that was even drooling on his paper. _I know who's going to fail this assignment._

His eyes wandered to Sora, who had his arms crossed on his desk, but his chin laid propped on his top forearm. He watched as his eyelids battled to keep shut, fluttering constantly. They'd close for a few seconds—he'd twitch, apparently catching himself before completely dozing off, and he'd keep them open for another few seconds before repeating the cycle.

It was cute. Riku wished Sora would completely fall asleep so he could just stare at the boy all period long.

Riku's attention turned back to the video. _"The tundra is covered by…"_

And then to his paper.

_Describe the vegetation in the tundra._

None of the answers had been filled in as of yet, and they were on the bottom third of the paper. Looks like he'd be failing along with the lazy students… Stupid hormones.

* * *

_Fourth period rolled around…_

The gym class was being obnoxious as usual. Riku was idly walking around the gymnasium pretending he cared about "warming up." To his surprise, Sora jogged lightly to him and strolled alongside. (Or was it all that surprising?)

"Hey, Riku," he greeted, smirk plastered on his face. "What's up?"

The other teenager furrowed his eyebrows. Sora was never this hyper—not usually. "Uhh… nothing, you know."

"How's your brother been?"

Riku grunted, and then murmured.

"Err… that is… staying alive with your brother around?"

Riku then chuckled. Was Sora trying to make small talk? For being friends, Sora was trying awfully hard to keep his attention on him. "Well, you know. My parents will be home for Christmas, and then he'll have to settle down."

"Settle down? Do you mean as in—"

"As open as my brother is about it, he has yet to tell my parents that he's gay. Even if they knew, they'd be _appalled _at his 'love life.'" To that thought, Riku snorted. "My opinion is, if he's going to tell the entire word he likes boys, then my parents are in the count. Now, don't get me wrong—I don't blame people who keep it a secret," Sora really didn't know how Riku felt about him, so he was trying to justify himself, "but it's just, if you're 'out of the closet,' so to speak, why should you tell only certain people? If my parents hate him for it, then—oh, I'm talking too much, aren't I?"

The rarest sight for Sora happened. He saw Riku turn red. Not just a rosy pink he usually did when he was embarrassed, he turned _bright holly berry red._

"That's okay, I like hearing you talk—err, that is!... Hearing you talk about your opinion." Now it was Sora's turn to blush.

Both boys were confused by each other's blushing, but were too embarrassed by themselves to bring it up. The class was called in by a whistle, and was told to gather around the teacher.

* * *

_**Cinderfella—The Key to Love**_

* * *

"So… when do your parents get back?" Sora asked, crossing his arms and pulling his gym shirt off his back. "Ugh… I'm all sweaty…"

Riku had to fight every hormone awakening in his body to _not _look at the boy, especially with his last comment. "Well, next week."

"Not to pry, but just to be curious—why are your parents not home, exactly?"

"They leave for long periods of time out to other countries." Riku bundled his dirty shirt up into his gym bag. "They're missionaries."

Sora's eyes lit up in realization. "Is _that _why Sephiroth hasn't told them?"

"Huh—how did you—" Oh, how could he _forget_, after turning so damn red? "Oh, yeah. My parents wouldn't care, to be honest—they'd probably harp on him about how fucking the same sex is immoral, but they'd still love him."

"I bet they wouldn't put it quite that way."

Riku chuckled as he shut his small locker and fastened the lock securely. "Well, yeah. They'd say, 'Have you been—_doing the dirty _with boys, Sephi?' Oh, man, I'd die to see the day."

"Um, hey Riku?"

"Hm?" Riku lifted a brow towards Sora's way. He was fully dressed again, in his black sleeveless hoodie and skinny boy jeans…he looked a little irresistible that way.

"Where's your jeans?"

"My—ah, crap!" Riku was dressed in his red plaid boxers and brown logo tee, but his jeans were still piled up in the back of the locker he had just shut. He hurriedly fiddled with the lock, turning the knob to the left, and then to the right, (skip the number and keep going until you hit it again) and to the left…

Nothing.

"_Dammit_! I hate these locks!"

"Here, let me try. What's your combination?" Sora butted in front of him, holding the lock in his left palm and ready to open it with the right. Embarrassed that he needed help getting such a small device open, he murmured his three number code. Making it look like a monkey could do it, Sora wretched the lock free and detached it from the locker.

"Thank god, Sora. Don't know what I would do without you."

"You'd have to wear your sweaty gym shorts to study hall, that's what."

"Yeah, over my dead, sexy body!"

They laughed as Riku hopped into his jeans and reclosed the locker. No sooner than two seconds after the fly was zipped the bell rang for the next class. The students in the room plugged their ears shut with their fingers and swarmed out, their ears also ringing from the horrendously loud reverberating of the bell.

"I HATE THAT BELL!" Sora cried. "I'M GOING TO MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT THAT I'M GOING DEAF!"

"WONDER WHY THEY HAD TO PUT A _LOUDSPEAKER _IN THE FUCKING LOCKER ROOM!" Riku shouted back, breaking free of sweaty boy odor and into the halls of Landcedar High.

"See ya," Riku waved. He hated second and third period study halls. That meant no third meeting of Sora that day.

Sora gave a short smile with a nod, and walked in the opposing direction. The teen sighed, shaking his head.

"'eeeey! Riiiiiiku!" The voice was like nails scratching against a chalkboard. But there were no chalkboards in Landcedar, they'd all revolutionized to whiteboards and they _squeaked. _Actually, thinking about it, the voice was more squeaky…

"OOF!" The owner of his voice gave him a good smack to the back, nearly knocking the wind out of Riku.

"Why are getting all friendly all of a sudden, hmmm?" The bubbly person behind him was pissing Riku off, royally. "Whatever happened to 'I'm gonna be an emo kid for all eternity' attitude, hm?"

"I just don't usually like talking to people. Sora has become an exception." Riku didn't even glance his way. Demyx was loud and irritating.

"Aww! Come on, don't be like that!" Demyx put his face right into Riku's line of eyesight. For some reason, his mullet made Riku even more annoyed… "You're just mad that you know I'm right! You can't keep up your façade forever, you know."

"Demyx. It's not a façade. I don't like people."

"It's not that you don't like people. You're _afraid _of them."

"You don't know what you're talking about." He waved a hand in front of the Demyx's face,in an effort to make him stop. "Besides, I don't have time for this, I gotta get to class."

"Riiiiku!" Demyx clung to a sleeve. "We go to the same class today! Let's walk an' talk, hm?"

"…I'll pass."

"But you gotta admit that you've got a problem."

He stared at Demyx blankly, before shaking him off his limb and walking towards his classroom. Demyx followed like a puppy, and boy did he look one too, Riku mentally noted.

"You're just afraid to get close after what happened with Roxas."

"What do _you _know?" Riku murmured, picking up his pace to avoid the boy. _You don't know the half of it._

"I know enough to know that you got hurt, and you don't want to get hurt again. Look, I know that it stings to be rejected by your best friend—but you're seriously going to let one friendship ruin your social life forever?"

"It's not your place to judge." _He was more than a best friend. He meant more to me than _that_._

"But you used to be so carefree, like you are with that kid!"

"His name is Sora," Riku snapped, nearly baring the fangs he didn't have. He let his flare in temper subside, and then sighed. "Look, I… I'm sorry, okay?" He paused, suddenly realizing the halls were practically empty. "Oh man, we're nearly late!"

Riku hustled to make it to the room on time, Demyx not far behind.

* * *

_**Cinderfella—The Key to Love**_

* * *

Maybe Demyx was right. Maybe he _did _have a problem.

Riku rolled over to his side, fingering the sheets gingerly. He had stayed as far away from people as he could after Roxas hightailed his side for Axel. At first, he claimed that Roxas had pissed him off and he didn't want to talk to anyone for quite some time, but Riku became anti-social for the next few years and followed him into high school. He never talked to anyone so he would never have to experience that pain again.

But the pain he felt then was a numbness that he didn't realize he'd had until Sora walked into the picture. He had known of Sora's existence—he had seen his face around before and could recognize him from a photo. However, for some reason at that party of Leon's, Sora dressed up all pretty and looking shy, the boy who Riku had shut up for a long time opened just once—which slowly drew him further out of the shell he'd buried himself in.

That pain—which suddenly became evident—pulsated as a dull throb, and stabbed him right through the heart. He wanted to be able to talk to people like he could with Sora, he _wanted _to—but that mindset was lost the moment somebody approached him.

He wanted to blame Roxas. He had to fight the urge to punch him as he had to watch him and Axel hold hands down the classroom halls...

But this wasn't Roxas's fault. Yes, he was a bad friend when it came down to it, but it hadn't been the blond's doing that Riku had turned out this way. He had brought it upon himself. Poor little Riku shut the world that he wanted to live in out.

Two tears spilled from his eyes, dotting the pillow with dark splotches. He was thankful he had locked the door—he was not prepared for his brother's presence at all, and was immobilized by his emotion to motivate himself to move from the bed.

He'd taken comfort in Sora's company. But if Sora left him too for whatever reason, could Riku take the rejection once more? The thought made more tears roll along the side of his face.

However, Demyx was right… if he let one person ruin his life, then he was dooming his social life. It wasn't a matter of even having any kind of popularity, but it was a concern of never having anybody to count on.

Even if he _hadn't _had a crush on Sora, at the least, he wanted to be friends with him. To give friendship another try—because he didn't want to live the rest of his life out alone. He wanted to open his heart and let someone else in.

He was done crying. He decided that he really didn't want to sit and mope the hours away. Instead, he grabbed his Gameboy from the nightstand and started _Thousand Soul Hunter_. It was a mindless shooter that would keep his mind occupied elsewhere.

* * *

_**Cinderfella—The Key to Love**_

* * *

"Kairi, what does Sora want for Christmas?"

Kairi had been surprised when Riku had pulled her aside after classes were over for the day, but not so much after that question. "Nothing. He says he'll feel guilty because he doesn't have the money to spend on anybody else. He mentioned something about doing _something, _but he's kind of been quiet about it." The redhead lifted an eyebrow. "Why are you asking, anyway? Thinking of getting him something?"

Riku blushed. "Well, he's my friend. I gotta get him something for Christmas."

The girl giggled at Riku's expense, though he didn't know it. "Hm… well… I don't have any ideas, to be honest. Oh! How about an offer to do his projects for the rest of his high school years?"

"Hah, no thanks." Riku laughed. "As much as I prefer projects over bookwork, I'm not doing any not assigned to me."

It was Kairi's turn to chuckle. "Other than that, I'm clueless."

Riku's eyes turned downcast. "Ahh, well, thanks anyway. I'm sure I'll think of something. See ya around." He turned to walk away when she called his name again. "Hm? What is it?"

"Will you take me home? I missed the bus to talk to you, and it's a little far to walk from here…"

It had been true that he hadn't thought of the fact that not _everyone _drove to school, and the buses were probably just pulling away as she spoke of it. Riku felt guilt for a moment, but it would at least give him a chance to get to know the girl better. This was the first time he had ever talked to Kairi, and so far they were getting along well. He could see what Sora saw in her.

"Sure. Come on, my car's this way." He jerked his head to gesture the direction they were walking in, and Kairi obediently followed. They got in and buckled their seatbelts before Riku recklessly drove out of the parking lot, going well over the speed limit of 15 miles per hour.

"So… Sora's just a friend?"

Riku put on a face of confusion to show her his bewilderment without taking his eyes off the road ahead of him. "Umm… yeah. What else would he be?"

"Well, I was just thinking, if you married Dora or something, he'd be like, your cousin-in-law…"

The silver-headed teen's face turned a shade of pink at the response. "What's the relevance of that?"

"Being related to your best friend for the rest of your life would be cool, wouldn't it? You know that saying, _'friends come and go, but family's forever'_? Sora would be forever!"

"No offense, but that's…" he paused for a moment, doing a quick "left-right-left" check before making a left turn, "slightly random. Now wait, do I turn here?"

"Not until the next road, pass this one. Do you really believe in love at first sight? You've only known her for… how long now?"

"A while. It's not as if I loved him the moment I saw him, but I realized that when I knew who he was, that he was the most incredible person in the world." The car was quiet for a moment. Did Kairi have nothing to say? Ah—wait, did he say what he _think _he just said?

"So you _know_! I knew somebody couldn't be that stupid!"

Riku snapped his head to face her, wearing a look that resembled a deer in the headlights. "Wait, _you _know?"

"Eyes on the road!" Riku realized he almost steered straight into a yard full of cheap, plastic Christmas ornaments and tried to focus back on driving. "Of course I know! I helped him dress up both times, after all."

"Did you really? I should have known Sora couldn't dress up like a girl. Especially with the wig… and the clothes. Where would he have gotten those clothes?"

"How did you find out? Did he slip?"

"Well, kinda. At the amusement park, I saw that he was wearing a wig because his hair stuck out from the bangs. Then it made sense."

"So he had you fooled for a while. Well, I _thought _I had his hair all pinned up right, but… it doesn't matter now! What does is that you just missed the turn."

"Are you serious?" Riku saw in the rearview mirror that he had indeed, missed the turn he needed to make while discussing Sora's cross-dressing. "Ah, well, I'll find a place to turn around… I'm sorry."

"Not a problem. If you turn right here, you can go around a small cul-de-sac and just turn left onto the road." She pointed to the upcoming street, and he did as she instructed. "But now that you know… you really _do _like him?"

"Ah, yeah." His face felt hot as embarrassment washed up over him. He wanted to say, _So, yes, that makes me gay, _but he left it unspoken. "That doesn't creep you out, does it?"

"No, I think it's cute!" It was a small relief for Riku, despite its bluntness. "Ah, it's like the perfect romance novel! I'll write it one day. It'll be titled… _Cinderfella_."

"Why _Cinderfella_?"

"Because you met Sora all dolled up at a party—which would be the ball—when he's really just ordinary!"

"That's not really… but I thought Cinderella was a servant with two evil step-sisters and step-mother. I'm pretty sure that Cloud's not evil… although, I don't know much about his parents."

"Well, he only has one dad. Adoptive dad."

"Really? He never mentioned it to me."

"He doesn't really talk about it much, but I don't blame him. I've met his dad several times. He seems nice enough… but I dunno. Things aren't always as they seem. The neighbors talk… you know. It makes me second guess my feelings about him."

"What do you mean? What do they say?" Riku's curiosity was awakening. He wanted to learn all he could about Sora… plus this seemed interesting on its own.

"Well, it's not really my place to say. I was told not to mention anything." The subject was dropped without any spoken word as the car pulled up to Kairi's house. "Thanks for the ride, I appreciate it."

"You bet. Thanks for the advice anyway. If you think of anything, let me know."

Kairi closed the passenger door when she got out, and then opened the back to pull out her schoolbag. Before slamming it shut, however, she peeked her head in. "Hey, are you busy tonight?"

"Nope. My schedule's open, as always. Why?"

"Do you want to come inside?"

Pleasantly surprised by the request, Riku put the car in park and pulled out the keys, turning it off. "Sure, I'd love to."

* * *

_**Cinderfella—The Key to Love**_

* * *

"Do you want something to eat? We have so many Christmas cookies, we don't know what to do with them. Well… besides eat them, but there's just too many!" She pointed to the stacks of Tupperware containers, holding a massive amount of cookies. "I'm getting milk; you can have some if you like."

"I'll pass on the milk, but I may just take some of these cookies." He took one container with a blue lid and pried it off. The smell of sweet sugar hit his senses and made his stomach growl. "What kind of cookies are these?" The cookies were big and puffy, touched with red and green sprinkles.

"Oh, those are sugar cookies. Try one." So he did. It had a texture that more like cake. He expressed his approval with a soft groan. When he finished it off, he looked in another container.

This one Riku recognized. "Whoopie pies! You make _whoopie pies_?"

"Yeah, my mom makes the best. Go ahead and try one."

And happily he did. However, the cookie was wrapped in green colored saran wrap, and it was a slightly challenge to unveil the whoopie pie without smashing it in the process. When he successfully had the cookie bare in his hands, he slowly sunk his teeth into the sandwich cookie. He could have _died _of ecstasy. The cream filling… the chocolate cookies…

He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the delicious treat. When he finally swallowed, he commented, "That was _amazing. _Your mom is one hell of a baker."

"I'll tell her you said that." Kairi sat down at the table across from Riku with the glass of milk she poured for herself and dug out a Snickerdoodle from another container. "Now that you know about Sora… are you going to tell him?"

"About what? That I know?" She nodded, a smirk lined at her lips. "Well, I don't know. What if he's only doing it for _my _sake, because he believes that I like _Dora _and wants to satisfy that wish?" It was at this explanation that caused Kairi to burst out in laughter. "Hey, I don't see what's so funny!"

"It's just kind of ironic… because he was afraid of you finding out. He dressed as Dora, hoping that he could get closer to you without revealing how he really felt—and that he was a guy. Actually, that was his first fear when he decided to go out on that date with you after all. But now you just got to tell him that you know, and all will be happy like rainbows and butterflies!"

"Rainbows… and butterflies." Riku pressed his lips into a thin line, while Kairi nodded. "Right. But… that's a fact? That he really _does _like me?"

"Guaranteed. He wouldn't have gone through all that trouble just for your satisfaction, despite the fact that you two are friends." She rounded the pad of her finger around the rim of her glass before sipping from it.

Kairi opened her mouth to speak, but before a sound came from her mouth the doorbell rang. She rose from the chair, abandoning the milk at the table. "Sorry, my parents aren't home to get that. I'll be right back." It was only moments later when Riku heard the door open and a familiar voice at the door.

"Hey! What are you doing here? When I always ask you to come over, you're busy!"

"Well, I'm not busy right now, so I thought it'd be an excellent time to come over. So, tell me, what's that car doing outside the house? It looks like Riku's."

"Come on inside."

"But, hey, you didn't answer my question!..." They appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yo, Sora," greeted Riku, a smile and slight blush on his face.

"_Riku_? What are you doing here?"

"What a nice way to greet somebody, Sora," Kairi laughed, pulling him into the kitchen by the wrist. "You want some milk and cookies? Me and Riku were just eating them."

"Yeah, I'd like some milk, thanks." With that, Kairi nodded and dove back into the fridge for the milk and poured him a glass. "I mean to say, I didn't know you knew Kairi at all, so it was kind of weird for you to be here…"

"I drove her home from school and she offered me to stay. We've just been talking." Riku tried to suppress the blush even more, his elation to see Sora making him bubble with joy. "Sit down; it's awkward to talk to you like that." He pointed to the chair next to him, and Sora quickly nodded before seating himself down in that chair. He was slightly close to the other teen, just close enough that he could smell the cologne radiating off of Sora. Who knew that somebody so cute could smell so goddamn sexy?

"'bout what?" He asked without a clue as he grabbed a whoopie pie from the open container. "Ooh! Yay, your mom made whoopie pies again!" He faced Riku a moment and said quickly, "Nobody in my house makes Christmas cookies, so I'm deprived and steal Kairi's." He thanked Kairi as she set the milk in front of him.

…_he only has one dad. Adoptive dad. _Riku could see why no one would make cookies then. Baking cookies didn't really seem _manly_.

"Just… school." Riku offered, his blush now unavoidable. He propped an elbow against the tabletop and hid the cheek that faced Sora in his palm. It was cool compared to the heated skin on his face. "I can't believe it's Christmas already."

"Yeah." Sora indulged in a third of his glass with one breath, and next reached for a sugar cookie. "It's weird. I mean, it's cold… but just weird. It came way too fast."

"Hey, I have to do something real quick. You two will be all right in here by yourselves, won't you?" Kairi said, rising from her chair as she topped off her milk.

"Of course," Riku said, waving a hand. "We're disrupting your daily schedule, do whatever you need to."

"Thanks, be right back—promise!" On her way out, she set the glass on the counter and headed out. Now the two boys were alone. Riku thought about what Kairi said… about how Sora really felt. So his love for Sora wasn't unrequited after all? Things worked out just that easily? But for some reason, there was a small doubt in his mind… why did it seem like something should out place? What was wrong with this fairytale picture? Would something happen if Riku tried to pursue Sora?

He tried not to think about the consequences of the situation, and instead enjoyed the favorable company. Turning his head to face Sora, he could see the younger nervously rubbing his finger against the tabletop. "Thinking about something?" Riku offered, breaking the short silence.

The brunet jumped in his chair, startled by the voice. "Well… kind of."

"What is it?" Riku prodded, dropping the arm he was leaning on slightly so that his face came closer to Sora's. The silver-haired teen noticed that Sora's face reddened a slight shade.

"N-nothing. Just… stuff."

"Okay then… well…" He paused. "How was school?" _Oh, real smooth. _Riku had gotten his face a little closer to Sora's, but in the process, lost his cool. Sora's eyes were a beautiful shade of blue…

"Umm… fine… you were there half the time." Sora's eyes were lidded slightly. Was he anticipating what Riku was dying to give? "I'm tired, but… you know…" Suddenly, those eyes looked very distant and away from the world. "Stuff."

"Stuff? That doesn't even make sense." Riku laughed lightly. "This whole thing… doesn't make sense. Like…" Riku's other hand barely left his lap before the phone rang, shocking the boys from the trance. A curse from Kairi could be heard from the other room, and they looked at each other before blushing fiercely.

"So sorry!—Selphie, what in the _world _could be so important that you had to call me?" Pause. "Oh… that's right, I guess I _did _tell you to call later, didn't I? …I'll tell you later, but anyway…"

Riku leaned back into his chair, in an attempt to peek into the living room where Kairi was currently on the phone. Had she been _spying_? Sure sounded like it. He looked at the glass of milk on the table and without even _caring _about what happened afterwards, he snatched it and took a large swig of it. He left no more than two sips left.

"Hey! That was _mine_!" Sora whined, stealing the half-eaten cookie in front of Riku.

"And that was _mine_!" Riku joked, grabbing the cookie back and shoving it in his mouth before Sora got a hold of it. "Whish ish still mime…"

"Go get your own milk, thief." He stared into the cup. "You know that old saying, do you see the glass as half-full or half-empty?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm seeing it as nearly gone, no thanks to you."

* * *

_**Cinderfella—The Key to Love**_

* * *

"Aaaand so! Because I am the worst friend in the world, I baked cookies for Christmas!" Sora opened the small green plastic containers that held a variety of cookies. Everybody immediately took one of each.

"Sora, these are _so good, _man! I didn't know you baked!" Wakka said, devouring a sugar cookie in two bites.

"Well, I usually don't, but I felt like I had to do _something_…" He blushed slightly, hoping that his friends didn't think of him as unmanly for baking. What was so wrong with guys baking anyway? But they seemed to be enjoying them without question.

When they left for homeroom, Sora left Tidus's side to beeline for Riku. He held out the boxes in front of him. "_Now _I will give you my cookie," he said, setting it down on the desktop.

"Are you serious?" Riku said, tapping a lid with an anxious hand for the delicious treats. "I thought you said nobody in your house baked."

"Well, I did. It's my Christmas present, because I'm too cheap."

"Sora…" Riku smiled. Noticing the sugar cookies, he realized Sora's real reason for the visit—the recipes. He had gone through the trouble to give his friends something for the holidays, despite his empty wallet. A warmth filled Riku's heart. "Thanks."

"Hey, don't make such a big deal out of it! All I did was bake like an old lady!" As Sora whined, the older helped himself to a chocolate chip cookie, not waiting to bite into it.

"Wow… Sora, you should definitely make a living out of this. This is the best damn cookie I've ever had in my life."

"You mean that? Really?"

"Yeah. _Really _really." Though he knew that he should only take one, he couldn't stop himself from stealing a second. For some reason, Sora didn't speak up. Maybe it was okay… or perhaps, Sora was just letting it go. "Listen, are you doing anything on the twenty-third?"

"Ummm… no. Why?"

"My parents are throwing a Christmas party that night. Want to come and keep me company? They invite all their friends over and I get bored pretty easily."

"Well… I… I can't."

"Why not? You just said that you're not busy."

"Riku… I just can't leave the house. My dad wants me to stay home. Sorry…" The bell began to chime. Sora opened his mouth to speak, but Riku sent him off with a wave of his hand and a smile.

_Don't worry about it. I was only asking. I've got a better idea, anyway._

* * *

_**Cinderfella—The Key to Love**_

* * *

Riku groaned, trying to figure out how in the hell anybody could climb up the wall. Maybe Kairi had been wrong, and this wasn't the way to get up after all. He rubbed his arms desperately trying to get warm. It was snowing softly, but he had only a windbreaker on. The soft flakes were slowly dotting his jacket, soon to be soaked.

"If you don't get up there soon, you're going to freeze from the snow." Kairi was wearing a puffy white jacket that made her look like a giant marshmallow woman. "And, yes, me and Sora climb that wall all the time. If we can do it, you can too."

"What did you do, climb that small fence there?" He pointed to the trellis attached to the wall. It was small and looked fragile.

"Yup. That's actually how." She walked to it, and pulled down on it with a hand as hard as she could. "It looks terrible, but it's actually very strong. It's _plastic_… but painted like wood."

"Ah, maybe that would have settled my fears a little more." Riku's feet made green footprints in the small sheet of snow lying on the ground as he approached the wall. He imitated the redhead's action, pulling on the trellis as hard as he could. He winced, waiting it for fall, but it remained… still as a statue.

"See? Don't worry so much. Just get a good grip, you can squeeze your fingers under the fencing and dig your toe into the corners. If you learn how to do it, you can visit Sora at any time you want."

"Well, that's a good way to motivate me." He chuckled and smiled at Kairi. "Thanks, again."

"Just to be curious… what _did _you ever decide to get Sora?" she asked, eyeing the slight bulge in Riku's pocket.

"What? _This_? You'll probably find out soon enough. Oh! By the way, if Sora's clothes were _yours_, was the costume yours too?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you mind if I hold onto the missing part of it for a little while longer?"

For a moment, bewilderment took Kairi. But remembering back to when Sora and her left, she realized what Riku was asking. "I don't care. Keep it for all eternity as keepsake."

"Then in that case, I'll take you up on that offer. Just… do me one last favor, okay?"

"And what's that?"

A look of fright crossed his features. "Can you make sure I make it up there?"

Kairi couldn't hold back the smile that crept on her face. "Okay." He nodded and took a deep sigh before gripping a small space above his head, and lifted himself so he was off the ground. His hands trembled, trying to find a place for his feet before he let go of his weight.

He picked up on how to keep his feet gripped to the trellis rather quickly, but slowly ascended the wall like a small spider. He made it to the halfway point but was startled when his foot suddenly slipped from its place. He panicked, trying to not let himself fall, and used every muscle in his arms and chest to avoid a horrible fate. His feet continued to search, the snow making the plastic wet and slippery. Tears swelled in his eyes in utter defeat.

"Put your foot flat against the hole and hold the side against the fence!" Kairi called, trying to somehow help him. Just in case, she ran from underneath him… hoping she may be able to break his fall.

He nearly lost the strength to fight when he followed Kairi's advice, and found a place to stop. Panting, he was suddenly still. Kairi let a full minute pass by before shouting up to him. "Riku, what are you doing?"

"I'm… afraid to move…" he admitted, completely immobilized from fear.

"You're halfway there! If you don't keep going, Sora will never get his present!"

Silently, Riku nodded at the words and gathered the strength to fight his way to the top. When he saw the windowsill right above him, he smiled to himself before grabbing it. Losing his concentration, he almost slipped again, but recovered fast this time.

He was flustered, however, when he found that the window was closed shut. He should have expected it—it was _snowing _outside… but he hadn't planned on getting inside by seeping through the glass like a ghost. He cursed under his breath, and then peeked inside the window. Sora was sitting on the bed, a book in his lap. He looked fairly deep into it, and Riku was fascinated by the way Sora looked… he didn't want to break the brunet's concentration, but he didn't want to break his neck by falling from the second floor either.

He rapped his knuckles on the window and watched as Sora jumped. The boy glanced over at the window to see Riku clinging to the sill with two arms and rushed to open the window and let him in. "Riku!" he said, careful to be quiet. "How did you—why—what are you doing here?"

The older teen rolled onto the floor with an "oomph." "Well, you couldn't leave the house, so I left to find you. Kairi showed me up. How in the world do you do that—" He was cut off by a warm hand covering his mouth.

"Shh! My dad'll hear you!" he warned. "You shouldn't be here."

Riku wrapped his fingers around Sora's hand, who easily let go. "What's wrong? If your dad sees me, he may scold me, but so what?" He talked in a lower voice this time. "My parents already know I'm out, so they won't have a reason to punish me."

"You don't understand—you can't…" Something was shaking Sora up, but it seemed a little funny to be just about the sneak in… "Cloud isn't home, and Dad's downstairs—"

"What's the matter if Cloud isn't home?" Now things just weren't adding up. _So what _if his older brother wasn't around? What did that mean?

"That's… not important. _Look, _just…"

"I came here because I hadn't given you your Christmas present at school. Let me do that much for you and then I'll leave, okay?" Riku wanted to take the words back just as soon as they spilled, but what _else _was he supposed to do? If Sora didn't want him around, then there was nothing he could do about it.

"Umm… really?" The younger's boy's cheeks began to flush. "You went through that trouble for my present?"

"Yeah. I have it right here." Riku dug into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small box. "It's not much… but here."

Sora gingerly took the box into his hands. They trembled with excitement and his eyes widened when he lifted the lid. He pulled out a small key on a chain. Perplexed, Sora looked up at Riku. "What… is this?"

"A spare key to my house… and, well, for something else."

"What else could it possibly be for besides your _house_?" Sora asked, raising an eyebrow. Instead of answering him with a spoken response, Riku dug in his pocket and pulled out something else. "What is?..."

Sora's face became blank. It was the glove from the party.

"This belongs to you, doesn't it?" Before Sora could catch on, Riku took his arm and slipped the glove on. It was loose and sagged along the boy's entire arm.

"No… it doesn't. It's Dora's—and it doesn't fit… heh. What are you getting at?"

Riku gave a mischievous smile. "But this is the way that it fits _you_, just like that night. It's yours."

Sora looked confused, unable to find the words to express himself. "So then… wait… are you telling me that you…"

"That key—it's not really something you can use for anything else than my front door… but it's supposed to be symbolic. Take a guess."

Sora paused, trying to think. He wasn't very good at these kinds of riddles. "Umm… it's… I have no idea. I give up."

He gave in when Riku reached out to touch Sora's chin, cupping it in his palm. As Riku neared his face towards Sora's, the pair of blue eyes became lidded again. The brunet trembled softly as a pair of lips neared his own. Barely audible, Riku whispered, "_That, _Sora, is the key to my heart."

And without hesitation, Riku closed the gap between the two. Sora breathed in deeply, the noise that he made through his nose making a wave of heat rise over Riku. For a moment they held there—as if time had stopped—but then the older softly pulled away. "You don't have to bother to cross-dress for me anymore, Sora. It's _you _I love."

"But… I thought you said…" Sora was at a loss for the right words. "You mean to tell me…"

Riku hummed a laugh, pressing his index finger on the end of Sora's nose. "It's not about gender, it's about who it is. Do you realize, that before you walked in my life, I was alone? I didn't have any friends, I _avoided _making friends at all costs. When I met you that night, at the party—I don't know what it was—something about you… I just started to speak to you, and from there… I just realized my life was a mess." Before Riku could stop it, tears spilled from his eyes. But they were tears of joy and relief.

"Ah! Riku, don't cry!" Sora reached up to wipe the wet streaks away from the older's cheeks. "You're gonna make _me _cry!"

"Why?" Riku said, sniffling. "What do _you _have to cry about?"

"Because… you don't understand… Cloud cried like that for me too…" And the tears came from the smaller. Sobs shook his small body. Riku's body began to prick with guilt. What had he done? He hadn't _meant _to cry—hell, it had been because he was happy! He wrapped two arms around Sora, and the smaller only sobbed more.

"I'm sorry… Shh… it's okay…"

"It's not… Riku… I'm happy…" Sora exhaled shakily and continued to explain himself. "Both you and Cloud—you've made me feel like a person for the first time in my life. Somebody who _means _something to this world."

The way he said it, it was heavy with burden. But why?

"Sora…"

Suddenly, the older felt Sora stiffen. "Do you hear that?" They were still for a moment, and indeed, Riku heard a soft thumping from the downstairs.

"Sora!" a deep voice called from the downstairs. "Get your ass down here _now_!"

"Did he find out?" Riku looked desperately at Sora. "But… I left my car at Kairi's… how would he know?"

"It's not…" Sora pulled away, but refused to face Riku. What was wrong? "And don't come downstairs. Please. Don't let him catch you in here."

"Did you do something to make him upset?" The older knew better than to pry in others' business, but something seemed out of place. Very much so.

"I… just, leave. It's in your best interest."

"SORA OZAWA!" Sora winced at the name. But, wait, Sora's last name was Strife…

…_he only has one dad. Adoptive dad._

Was that his name before the adoption? But why refer to him by it? It was like he was denying that he was his son…

There was no way in hell he was leaving. Not until he had answers for every question he had.

Sora only gave a desperate look to Riku before leaving and shutting the door behind him. Riku thanked every spirit that lingered on Earth that the door was silent, because soon after he was able to follow, opening the door quietly. He had never seen the inside of the house before, and was stunned by the hallway before him. It was decorated and possibly done by an excellent interior designer… the carpet was vacuumed to perfection, antique upon antique were lined along the shelves, beautiful crafted lamps sitting on fine wooden end tables…

So this was the kind of house Sora lived in.

He tiptoed down the hallway, finding the staircase in the corner of his eye. He slowly descended, careful not to slide his hand on the rail out of habit—that would make noise and possibly attract attention.

A sudden banging and scream alarmed Riku, knowing from gym class that that scream had come from none other than Sora. Even still—he could not spring into action—despite the fact that his fears were in the process of being confirmed… there was something very messed up in this residence.

"Stop! Please!"

"There's no one to save you now boy!" The sound of glass smashing made Riku shudder. "You and… your sick infatuation with your brother!"

"It's not like that, I swear!"

"You little rat! You're full of lies!"

"You're full of alcohol!"

A slap. Riku was no longer able to just linger and wait for the moment—he had to do something before Sora got hurt—if he already wasn't. But where were they?

He followed the sounds of the shouts and objects being slammed and broken. The cries were getting louder—or was that them _getting _louder?

"You should have stayed in Japan with your parents!" Sora was crying hard. Riku's feet ran, no longer taking the extra caution to be silent and sneaky.

"Don't talk about my parents that way!" Another banging that rattled the walls. Riku's eyes settled on a wooden door—barely hanging open—and he peeked in. The sight sent him dizzy into shock.

Sora's face was streamed with blood, and a man with white hair and tanned skin had him held up to the wall. The boy struggled to breathe as the collar of his shirt was tightly pulling on his neck and cutting off his air supply. The man, apparently the so-called "father" had a mad look in his eyes. _'You're full of alcohol!' _He sure did look drunk—and the bottles that lay before their feet were enough evidence.

"Stop!" He swept the door open, it banging into the opposing wall. Sora look over, wide-eyed.

"Riku! What are you doing here?"

"You thought I was going to leave you here alone?" Without thinking about the consequences, Riku dove in to attack the man who held his precious Sora in his clutches.

Ansem's lips curled into a sickening smile.

* * *

_**February 2, 2012**_

**A/N: I can tell the passage of time with the fic with how much better the grammar gets and the ease in corrections. Though this chapter had a **_**horrific **_**amount of grammatical and spelling errors, it was rather appalling.**

**There was this line in the original about, "Kairi must have had caller ID" because she shouted in the phone at Selphie. It's kind of funny thinking about how phones didn't **_**all **_**come with caller ID at some point – so weird!**

**So, yep, the end is coming! c;**


	14. The End of a Harrowing Past

_**February 3, 2012  
**_**A/N: Edited. …yep.**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 14—The End of a Harrowing Past_

Sora wanted to scream, but he couldn't bring himself to even whimper, _Riku, don't! _The look in Ansem's eyes was threatening, and not even fully aware of his potential, Sora's insides were panicking.

Riku didn't hear the brunet's silent plea and recklessly launched himself towards Ansem. The man, still wearing that grin, released his grip on Sora and caught Riku's fist as it flew. For a drunken man, he still had some coordination.

Deciding that charging into the fray was not the wisest of moves, Riku withdrew himself and stepped back a few feet. Ansem, however, gave a kick to Riku's stomach, making the boy crumple in a heap onto the den's floor.

The teen groaned, completely winded. _What now? _he thought hopelessly. _I ran in like an idiot, and now I'm defenseless, let alone able to defend Sora…_

His eyes drifted to the mess on the floor. There were drops of blood and beer splattered on the carpet, some of the crimson shimmering on the edges of broken shards of glass.

_That's it._

The problem that presented itself, however, was that it was out of his reach behind Ansem. For that moment, defeat was about to greet Riku as the man moved to strike him. But suddenly, the old man dropped on his face in mid-attack. Sora remained standing, a heavy, silver stapler gripped tightly in his quivering hands. "Run!" he tried to shout. But his voice only came in a hoarse whisper.

Riku wouldn't run despite Sora's advice—not now. Ansem groaned, beginning to lift himself off the floor, and brought Sora down with him by the heel. Sora let out a yell, not even expecting Ansem to still be conscious. "Come 'ere, you little bastard! I'll show you who's boss!"

Only able to crawl, Riku pushed himself to reach for the nearest piece of broken bottle he could get to. He strained, the only strength left being the adrenaline pulsating within him.

A hand stretched for a piece about the size of his palm—a sharp, pointy end that was about to come into use. He gripped it like a dagger in his right hand, feeling the edges slice thin lines into his pale skin.

Sora was screaming with all he had in a long, continuous strain; Ansem was driving his head into the ground over and over. Knowing there was not much time left before Sora's brain was going to be facing permanent damage, Riku lunged himself forward and stabbed Ansem as hard as he could into the calf of his leg. It was the man's turn to feel pain and scream as Riku had managed to drive the pointed end through the material of pants and into the flesh enough that blood leaking through.

The brunet tried to get away with that chance, staggering on his elbows and knees. But the painful throbbing in his skull left him uncoordinated and dizzy. Fingers curled and tightened on his ankle when Ansem let a yell rip through the air—and the noise was like a deafening siren ringing in Sora's head.

"Let him go and I'll stop!" Riku shouted, shoving the make-shift weapon further into his leg.

Unexpectedly, Ansem turned and kicked Riku in the side of his face with the alternate leg. The attack was forgotten as the boy's hands snapped up to touch the damage only to be thrown onto the floor flat on his back.

Instantly, he regretted looking up—Ansem's twisted, enraged features horrifying him beyond anything he had seen in his life. He knew that the sinking feeling in his aching stomach was not a lie, and that is where the end was.

"**No****!" **The harsh but soft cry was barely heard over the hard clunk that reverberated in the room, and the man's body became dead weight on top of Riku. Beside him kneeled Sora, wide-eyed and trembling. In his two hands was the same stapler from before, clattering from his unsteady fingers.

The silver-haired teen was completely drained of energy, not even able to speak for help. As Sora observed the scene, he noticed Riku's pleading look from under Ansem's body. He dropped the stapler and slowly lifted the unconscious man off Riku, making the small task seem laborious. When freed, Riku remained still and only able to feel the warmth of his friend's body holding him close.

"It's over," Riku croaked. "You're okay…"

"Riku…" the brunet's voice was raspy and shaken with sobs. "Riku… I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. This is all my fault." Unable to support his irrationality, Sora said nothing more and gripped Riku tightly, the pulsation in his head becoming softer in the sudden quiet.

"No. It's not. Nothing like this could ever be your fault." With everything he had, Riku was only able to nuzzle his face closer to Sora's. "Listen, don't fall asleep without calling someone. _Anyone. _If Ansem comes to and we're asleep, we'll never wake up again."

Sora blinked and pulled himself away from Riku, a look of regret in his eyes. "But—"

"Call 911. Call _Wakka _for all I care. Just somebody."

Sora pulled himself off Riku (with some sudden sadness at the cold he felt) and crawled over to the desk, where the supplies were in disarray from the event that had occurred so shortly ago. His eyes sought out the black phone that Ansem had often used and hoped that it wasn't disconnected.

There it was, lying on the floor—its cord looking about ready to snap. Sora made his way to it and, hovering over it, dialed the first number that came to mind. His head was still aching, and he hardly could think straight to push the numbers correctly but managed to do so.

"C-Cloud? Where are you?"

Riku heard Sora's voice fade into the background as he couldn't keep his eyes open for much longer—and the name _Cloud _echoed.

Had it been for his lack of strength, Riku would have chuckled. Leave it to Sora to go to his brother faster than the police.

"Cloud… come home. It's… an emergency."

"**Sora? What's wrong?" **Cloud's voice was calm but alert. **"You sound terrible—what's wrong with your voice?"**

"I-I… Dad… we…" Sora couldn't find the words to explain himself. "Just come home, _now_."

"**Sora, what's going on?"**

Sora kneeled over and pressed a hand to his head. The dull heartbeat in his head suddenly got worse—the anxiety of trying to explain what had happened to Cloud plaguing him.

"**Sora? Answer me!"**

"Well, it—" Sora couldn't bring himself to say anything. What _could _he say? Nothing came out but a guttural cry. Unable to even bring himself to say anything, he hung up the phone.

"**Sora? Sora!"**

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The End of a Harrowing Past**_

* * *

"Sora!" Cloud let the silence on the other line go for a few more seconds before snapping his cell shut. "Leon, I gotta go. Something's happened to Sora."

"It's snowing outside," Leon said as he pointed a finger out the window. "You can't go out in this weather."

"You don't understand! Sora sounded as if he was crying, and he said it's an emergency—"

"Your dad is home. He'll take care of it."

"He mentioned dad's name. Something is _wrong_, and he _needs_ me."

Leon sighed, seeing that his defeat was easily met. "Fine, but let me drive you. My dad's got a truck with four-wheel drive. Leave your car here and get it later."

"I don't care how I get there, as long as I can get to my brother." Cloud did not hesitate to grab his orange winter jacket off the couch and sweep it around him. "And with you there, I'll feel better."

Leon could feel a hint of warmth hit his heart at those words. "I'm glad I could be there for you." Leon donned a brown leather jacket and snatched a smaller keychain from the hook. Unlike the one Cloud was used to seeing, which was full of many chains and assorted keys, this one had but two; one for the car and one for the house. "Let's go."

When they marched outside, Leon had been right; the snow was falling around them harder than it was about an hour ago. It was bitterly cold, and reflexively Cloud pulled the jacket closer to himself as he rounded the Tahoe that Leon was climbing into.

"Buckle up your seatbelt—it may save you tonight." The grim words Leon spoke made Cloud shudder, and he immediately did as he was told. "You sure know how to get yourself caught in the weather," the brunet chuckled, referring to the rainstorm from some months back.

Cloud laughed back. "I guess so." However, his guts twisted when he remembered why he was out in the weather.

The heater blasted cold air into the boys' faces when the car started, and Leon switched it off. "Screw the heater," he murmured, putting the car into reverse and backing out of the driveway with caution. He cursed when he realized that he would be driving on a fine sheet of snow. "This is going to take longer than I planned… the plows haven't come through yet, and the roads are worse than I had thought."

Cloud shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Let's just get home."

The car slowly moved through the cold weather, and the heater had been working correctly by the time they were halfway there.

Neither of the boys had seen Riku's car sitting in Kairi's driveway, and advanced straight into the house. Leon pursued to search, but Cloud stopped as he stepped in the doorway. "Sora?" he shouted, taking a single step in front of him. "Sora? Dad?"

Nothing. Cloud's insides froze.

"Come on," Leon walked back and grabbed his friend's hand. "They're around here somewhere."

The blond nodded tensely and let him have his hand, feeling the heat of his skin around his own.

The living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the family room… they all looked normal. Cloud gripped Leon's hand tighter when they couldn't find any signs of life about the house. "Are you sure Sora called from here?"

"He said 'come home,'" Cloud explained, but he was having second thoughts that perhaps his memory was deceiving him. "But I—"

It was at that moment that both pairs of eyes found the den's door wide open. Cloud stopped mid-sentence as the sight of the destruction met his eyes.

He saw Ansem lying beside Riku and Sora sprawled out towards Riku perpendicularly on his stomach. All three were passed out. The phone that Sora had used to call Cloud was hung on the receiver but on its side on the floor. Beer bottles and shards of broken ones were scattered about the room, and drops of blood were about the carpet. A stapler laid by Riku's leg, and the office supplies were scattered on the desk top.

Each little thing came to Cloud's mind one at a time—and when he came to a conclusion, he almost denied it could ever even happen.

"What the hell happened here?" Leon said, patting the blonde's shoulder absent-mindedly before passing him to enter the room. His foot crunched when a piece of glass caught under it, breaking into smaller shards. "Does your father drink?"

"I… can't believe it…" was all he could think of what to say. "Dad?…"

Leon got down close to the floor and touched Sora's back to wake him. "Hey, Sora. Are you okay?"

The boy did not respond. Leon put a finger to Sora's neck to search for a pulse. Fortunately, he felt a heartbeat and knew that the boy was just unconscious. "Hey. Wake up."

A murmur came from the boy as he came to life, slowly but surely. Cloud snapped into the painful reality and ran to his brother's side as Sora struggled to lift himself up with his arms. "Sora! Are you okay? What happened here? Why—"

Leon touched his arm to signal for the blonde to quiet himself. Cloud looked at him, searching for the reason. "Cloud, let it be. We can find out what happened later. What's important is that we're here for him, and that he's okay."

"I'm… fine…" Sora choked. He lifted himself up to reveal his battered face—black and blue bruises had been made along his cheeks and right eye—and a fine cut dragged across his right cheek as well, blood dried in flakes on the discolored skin.

"You look like hell," Leon said and supported Sora when his arms buckled from under him. "Are you sure you're okay? Nothing broken or twisted?"

"I don't think so. I'm sore…"

Cloud reached to hold Sora, and Leon helped Cloud to scoop the younger boy into the blond's arms. "Sora, I was so scared. I don't know what I'd do if… if something happened to you… Something _worse _than this…"

Sora struggled to find the strength to cling onto his brother. He only said his name, and his grip loosened as he was losing consciousness again.

"Sora?…"

"Ungh? What's going on?" Leon crawled over to the source of the voice—Riku.

"How about you? Are you all right?" The brunet knew that the other teenager was probably doing better than Sora—even just by the palpable damage, Riku's face had some bruising on the side, but significantly less than Sora's.

"As fine as I'll be… damn it!" He had tried to heave himself off the ground, but was left lying on his back, clutching his stomach. "That bastard _really _kicked me good…"

"Who?" Leon asked, but had no doubt in whom the culprit was.

"That guy… over there." He looked towards Ansem's lifeless body. "The one who _says _he's Sora's dad."

"What were you doing here?" Cloud asked, a hint of suspicion hanging in his tone.

"I snuck in to give Sora his Christmas present. Then when he—that guy—called Sora downstairs, I followed behind shortly, but… Sora was already attacked by that time, and I tried to help him."

He paused when he saw the look on Cloud's face—one that wore that he had uncertainty. "You think _I _attacked them? Are you serious?"

"My dad wouldn't—"

"Shit!" Riku continued. "Look, you've gotta believe me! Why do you think Sora is so nervous all the time? Why he never leaves the house outside of school?"

"Sure he leaves…"

"Yeah, when you got caught in the rain! That was a lucky chance! I don't know what's been going on—and apparently you're too _dense _too see it—but it's clear that Sora isn't treated properly here!"

Shouting alone already drained what little strength Riku had recovered, and he panted for a few seconds before picking up from where he left off. "Don't you see it? Even in this room! Look at all the bottles! I sure as hell wasn't drinking in here!"

Cloud's insides froze. "Maybe I _am _dense…" he said, taking a second look at the damage in the room. "Has it been in front of me the whole time? I…"

"Nobody saw it," Leon said. "It's okay, Cloud."

"But I—I've been under the same roof the entire time, and I've failed to see it?" Riku's face softened as he watched Cloud's face spill tears. "I…"

"Shh… hey. It's okay." Leon brought an arm around Cloud's shaking shoulders. "People can do the worst of things and deceive everyone in the end."

Riku was the only one to notice when Ansem came to—immediately grabbing his aching head. However, when he cursed, all three were looking at him. "That little bastard! I'm going to wring his neck, and then—"

All prior doubts that could have been left dissipated from Cloud's mind. "How could you?" were the only words that came.

"Cloud…" Ansem, clearly straining to wear a victimized look, reached a hand out towards his son. "I'm so glad you're here. Something terrible happened—"

"And it started nine years ago," Cloud spat coldly. "When Sora was brought into this house. You abused him!"

Ansem's features dropped in immediate response. "You don't think—"

"I _know. _I trusted you! I fucking _trusted _you! All this time, when I thought you cared…"

"I do care—"

"Sora won't be hurt anymore, if I can help it!" He clutched the sleeping teenager in his arms tighter to his chest. "Fuck you! _Fuck _you!"

Leon had never seen Cloud so angry in his life, and though it was expected, he couldn't help but be in shock. "I'll be back," he spoke in a whisper and left the room, flaunting his lonely middle finger to the man on the way.

"Where's he going?" Ansem scowled, now breaking his act—a side of him Cloud had never seen.

But Cloud didn't know, and said nothing to answer the query.

"You played a good game, but it's over," Riku spat.

The man knew that there was no chance of escaping this one, so he dove for Riku's helplessly. For a trice Riku thought he was in trouble, but Ansem went down, clutching his leg. "Ugh! You little—"

Riku chuckled triumphantly. "It's over."

* * *

_**Cinderfella—The End of a Harrowing Past**_

* * *

Leon had gone to contact the police without giving the man a clear idea that he was going to be caught in the action. Ansem was arrested on the charges of domestic violence, and the three older boys saw him off with their own little salutes, while Sora said sayonara to his long years of abuse.

The police had decided that the boys had suffered enough that day and were planning to interrogate them on a later date (but in the near future, sometime in the week following Christmas, but before the New Year) and took that time to investigate the house.

The Strife brothers clutched the few belongings they had managed to grab from the house while Riku and Leon were outside with them. Sora shuddered as snow fell around them, and Riku wrapped his arms around Sora's shoulders, knowing that it was okay to assume—finally assured that his love was not unrequited. The brunet leaned into the embrace, a warmth filling him up inside.

Cloud peered over to the two, and felt like someone had shot bullets through him.

Kairi, clad in pink cotton pajamas, ran outside, gripping her bare arms with her equally freezing hands. "What's going on?" she exclaimed, "When I woke up, I saw the police were here, and I—"

She hesitated when, in the dark night, she noticed the bruised faces of Sora and Riku (who had not bothered to break their hold on each other in her presence) and gasped. "What happened to you two?"

Leon was the one to reply. "They were beaten by Ansem, who got drunk. They already carted him away."

The girl's eyes widened. "So, it was true…"

Nobody bothered to ask what she had meant—they knew that she, along with the neighborhood, had suspected something _wrong _with Ansem.

"Aren't you cold?" Leon questioned, tugging on his own jacket.

"I'll be fine," she said. "I was too worried to go looking for one."

The brunet stripped off the jacket, now only wearing a crimson t-shirt with a band logo on it. He wrapped it around the Kairi's trembling shoulders. "Don't catch a cold for our sake," he explained, tightening it around her.

She could feel a fine blush creeping on her face at the kind gesture—especially from Sora. "Thank you." She pulled her chilling arms through the sleeves and then crossed them across her chest, already feeling heat building around her body. "So, where are you going to stay?" It was a question shot at all of them at the same time. No one really had an answer for her, and the silence spoke for that.

"Why don't you come over to my house for now until the snow stops?" Kairi offered.

"Will your parents mind?" Riku asked. "It's late for surprise visitors…"

"Where else will you go? Come on." She spun around and walked towards her house, knowing that the four would follow in step.

Sora had a hesitant look about his face. "Do you think we should—"

"Come on," Riku chuckled, pulling the younger out of his embrace and nudging him forward. "It beats freezing out here."

* * *

_**Cinderfella—The End of a Harrowing Past**_

* * *

Although Kairi's parents accepted the boys with open arms, they were a little unsure where to keep them—and Riku and Sora had offered to sleep in the family room while Cloud and Leon slept in the guest room. When the snow cleared the next day, the parents determined that they would escort the boys to the hospital to check for any overlooked injuries. For now, the snow was still falling and piling on the roads, and they felt safer staying at home.

Sora was hardly able to keep his eyes from shutting, and as soon as the couple said their goodnights, he let his body flop to the side, head nudging Riku's shoulder. The older adjusted to encircle his arms around Sora and pull him close.

"This isn't the end, you know."

"What do you mean?" Riku peered down at Sora, but all he saw was a bunch of brunet spikes, poking up from Sora's head. Sora was not known to be optimistic—but the bleak tone in his voice worried Riku.

"Even if I'm free of Ansem…" Riku could hear Sora's voice tremble slightly, and squeezed tighter on him. "Even if he's charged with… whatever… I have to deal with him in court, and I…" He paused to stifle the sob that snuck up on him. "Where do I go _now_?"

"How about with me?"

Sora was silent as his eyelids shut forcefully on him. As hard as he tried to pry them back open, he could feel himself drifting away from the couch and Riku.

"My parents would take you in—you and Cloud. They're missionaries, for God's sake. Children in need is their _job_."

Sora still didn't move. He didn't even show a sign that he had been listening. Riku had expected at least a squeak of "eh?" to come from him. Riku nudged the boy, and said softly, "Sora?..."

Riku took his free hand to lift Sora's chin to peer into his eyes, but they were closed. Riku too, wanted to succumb to the sweet serenity of sleep—and nearly did when he shut his eyes—but was jolted back awake when a voice spoke up, "Sora's asleep?"

"Yeah." In his dizzy vision spun Cloud, standing before him. He knew the position was awkward, but maybe he could—

"You love him," Cloud whispered, a forlorn look tracing his facial features, "don't you?"

The question came as a shock to Riku. It was blunt, but unsure. What should he reply with? His mouth hung open with an empty reply. Did his brother know Sora was gay? Had he already found out? Or was he just finding out now?

"It's okay. I'm not… I don't care about sexual preferences. It just seemed like—"

"Yeah," Riku interrupted, his voice cracking. "Yeah, I do."

A look of hurt radiated stronger in Cloud's face. Was he upset that Sora liked a boy? Or was there an underlying reason that Riku could not see?

Either way, Cloud seated himself beside Sora. "Just… do me this favor." Riku nodded for Cloud to continue. "Watch him—protect him when I can't."

They exchanged a silent glance—Riku accepting to keep that promise.

The room was quiet for about a minute until Sora began to mutter incoherently. "Um… long did I sleep?" he finally said, straining to enunciate syllables.

"Uh, only fifteen… twenty minutes," Riku answered. "Not as long as you probably think."

It was then that he noticed Cloud sitting next to him. "Ah! Cloud!"

Jealously socked Riku in the stomach once for Sora's brightened smile, and then was socked again by his conscious for getting jealous at all.

"Hey, Sora." The blond patted his free shoulder. "Feeling any better?"

"Very little." He was about to speak, but a yawn broke him off—and then he wiped the tear in his eye as he continued. "Listen, I'm… sorry…"

"For what?" Riku and Cloud said in unison.

"For dragging you two into this. Especially to you, Riku, because you got hurt because of me…"

"Sora! How could you even blame yourself for _this_?" Cloud wrapped his arms under where Riku's was to hold Sora as well. "This isn't your fault. Nothing… none of what happened under our roof was your fault."

"But, the two people who are most precious to me got hurt! How is it not my fault?"

Cloud and Riku peered at each other, registering what Sora had said. _Two people who are most precious… is he saying _us_?_

"Because we love you, Sora," Riku spoke up, tugging on him gently in his grip. "You mean the world to us, too… and we let ourselves get dragged into it."

"That doesn't make any sense," Sora replied, knitting his brows in confusion. "You can't willingly let yourselves get dragged into something you don't know is happening."

"Sure you can," Cloud argued, wearing a soft smile. "Think about love. Most people don't know they're starting to love someone until they realize what the ache is in their heart. They never _asked _to feel that way about a person—but it just happens."

"But that doesn't—"

"Sora, just know that we _want _to be here for you," Riku interjected, laying the side of his head on top of Sora's. "Because _you're _precious to _us_."

Sora said nothing, and at that moment, the two anticipated an answer… until Sora nodded, and said, "Okay. I… …thank you."

The two realized that this could possibly be the first time Sora didn't fight to be pessimistic.

Riku and Cloud both kept their hold on Sora, and again, swapped smiles. They silently accepted that they had to share him, and that they both could have him without fighting.

_Cloud'__s the kind of brother I always wished I had… _Riku pressed a hand to the Cloud's, who looked up at him.

"And make sure to protect him when I can't," he whispered.

Cloud nodded, pressing his head to Sora's—nudging Riku's in the process.

"_There doesn't always have to be one person loving another… Riku loves Sora as much as I do. Maybe more. One day I'll get over Sora, and I'll fall for someone else… I know it. And Sora will be cheering me on the whole way—the way it should be.'_

Leon and Kairi watched the three silently from around the corner, both having a soft smirk pulling at the corners of their lips. Even after all that had happened, Sora was so lucky to be surrounded by the people who were closest to his heart.

* * *

_**February 3, 2012**_

**A/N: Some of the lines were **_**super **_**cheesy. I think I fixed them up pretty well.**

**As a future RN, let me give you advice: if you **_**ever **_**have that much damage to your precious skull, please do NOT wait to see someone about it. In fact, letting Sora sleep was really bad. You can lose brain functionality pretty quick, and the inability to keep conscious/aware of the world is a sign of declining status. So… don't do it! But it's okay, Sora doesn't die. Heehee.**

**Downhill from here!**


	15. Reflections

_**February 3, 2012  
**_**A/N: This chapter was originally written to recap the story for those who hadn't seen the fic for a while and play catch-up because I had intentions to extend the fic longer. However, now it's pretty much like a summary before the end. If you just want to read the end and not the entire edit, read this and go on.**

**There's a change in POV to set an alternative mood.**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 15—Reflections_

I moved my arm to rub at my eye to clear the fog from my eyes, but found my right arm to be clung to by Riku and my left trapped between the couch and Cloud's back. How they hell did I end up like this?

My mind wandered through time backwards. We were at Kairi's because we were escorted out of the house by police. We were escorted out because Riku and I got into a fight with my father. I got into a fight with my father over Cloud while he was drunk. And from there, it was hard to calculate the time line from how I got from "here to there." I heaved a sigh from the pit of my stomach. It was loud enough to make Riku stir.

As he twitched, I jumped slightly. Cursing my ability to be easily startled, I stared at him. No, he hadn't woken up after all. A few strands of silver poured down from where they had been curled against his shoulder to cascade down the side of his arm. His hands fixed themselves on my arm. Still trapped.

It was weird. I don't think I'd ever had the opportunity to watch Riku in his sleep. I'd taken a glance when he was sick, but at that moment I could stare as hard and long as I wanted as long as he didn't wake.

His face was soft, softer than it was even when he was at his kindest. I wonder why Riku had to be so shy. Before we'd formally met (and by formally met, I mean him carrying me to the nurse's suite after I'd blacked out due to a volleyball making a target out of my head) I'd only knew him as the quiet, good-looking guy. The volleyball instant wasn't really what started the event though. Without it happening, I'm sure things would have gone the same way.

It's hard to say what put things in motion. There was the costume party at Leon's, where I met him as Dora. And Riku, all dressed up as a knight, sure _acted _like one. Totally out of his normal character in school, he was kind and even offered a dance. Thinking back, why _did _I accept the dance? Maybe a part of me liked Riku all along.

But then the random fate of being partnered with him for that… ugh, _project_. If it weren't for that, then I would have never known where his house was, and I would have lost the opportunity to get to know him on a personal level. Because later during the downpour, I'd remembered the house and we went there for refuge. All of these events led to our friendship, which grew as we continued to act as good friends.

And then Riku and I went on a date. Given, I was posed as Dora again, but it was all still a date. …did Riku know that I was a girl then? Maybe. I'm not sure. Maybe he saw through me all along.

But then he climbed through my bedroom window, giving me the shock of my life. A key and a glove. Strange and even cheesy, but it made the point.

It was at that moment that I was called downstairs by my father. He strangled me to the wall, claiming that I'd been in love with Cloud. He'd been saying that sort of thing for a while, but at that point was intoxicated enough about it to start a fight.

By some stroke of chance, the boy (now my boyfriend) had come downstairs and saved me from a horrid fate. My boyfriend… my heart fluttered at the thought. It made me want to get up and dance or spin in circles or just _sing…_

I looked left. Cloud. I looked right. Riku. No dancing right now, I supposed.

In a small amount of time, so much had happened. Would the pace of events keep up at this high rate, or would they begin to slow down, such as the heart does after dashing through a clustered forest?

As long as I was holding Riku's hand all the way, I don't care how far and how long we run for.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - Reflections**_

* * *

I could sense that Sora was awake. His movements were small but noticeable. I continued to feign unconsciousness, ready to fall back to sleep anyway.

But I couldn't sleep, not with all these thoughts buzzing in my head. There was so much to untangle from my threading of thoughts. How stupid and naïve was I to never see what was happening from under my eyes. How long had Sora been treated like this? Months… years?

Well, all the harm was gone now. Ansem would be brought to court, and doubtfully he would be able to have Sora again. As for me… things were unsure. It was hard to say. I had been treated perfectly fine.

_I wonder where Leon is…_

I'm not sure what I would have done without Leon. It was all propelled by that costume party—the one he didn't even want to _throw_. Leon and I talked that night—the whole night. It was strange in an amazing way.

And there were the awkward moments. I remembered back to the first time I was in his bedroom, fingers making contact with sensitive flesh. Or the other time when I had soda down my shirt and his tongue in my mouth. My cheeks began to warm as I was in his room again in my head.

I found myself missing the brunet at that point in time. God. He must have slept in the guest room. All by himself?...

I rose to my feet slowly, and gave Sora's head a soft pat before leaving. _He's got Riku. I've got to keep Leon company._

I crept into the bedroom I was supposed to be sleeping in. A clock flashed its numbers in green: 3:27. Damn, it was late.

At the foot of the bed, I hesitated. Would it be weird if I just crawled right into bed with Leon? _I'm sure he won't mind. If he does, he'll kick me out._

With that, I tried my best to make my way under the sheets. I lifted them ever so carefully… Leon didn't move. I put one foot on the bed, and the springs creaked under the weight I'd put on them. Leon was still. I snuck the rest of the way into the bed, trying my best not to touch Leon. When all was still and I was comfortable, I closed my eyes to sleep.

"It's a bit late."

I almost fell out of the bed. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"No, I was already awake." Leon rolled onto his side to look at me. "Don't worry about it. Just go to sleep. G'night Cloud."

"Night… Leon…" It was hard to sleep with all this noise. My heart was thumping way too loudly.

* * *

_**Cinderfella - Reflections**_

* * *

"Where's Cloud?" Sora murmured.

"Not sure. Probably with Leon," I replied. "But good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Um, okay. Couches don't make great beds."

"I know." I rubbed the brown spikes. Who knew Sora was even capable of getting bed head? But there it was—his hair was in such disarray that he resembled a porcupine. It was pretty cute. "How're you feeling?"

"Pretty sore. My cheek kind of stings." I looked down at the cut where Sora was talking about. A two-inch slit ran from his cheekbone towards his lip. It was red and brown from scabbing over.

"It looks okay. Where'd it come from?"

"Shard of glass." Sora bit down on his lip as if it helped him remember things better. "I think… I don't exactly recall how. When I'd gotten down to his office, he threw a bottle towards my face. Before I had time to open my eyes and see what was happening, I'd been thrown against a wall. That was shortly before you came down."

I nodded. "You didn't get cut anywhere else, did you?"

Sora shoke his head no. Thank god.

"Riku, is your eye okay?"

"What do you mean?"

Sora pushed himself off the couch and grabbed my hand to take me to a mirror. I wasn't expecting what I saw, though it wasn't as bad as Sora made it seem.

My eye, the side that Ansem had kicked, sported a purple bruise underneath and around its border. It was slightly swollen, though not too badly. The sight made me laugh; it was an awesome battle wound.

"It's not funny!" Sora said, "You're hurt!"

"I'm fine." I rustled his bed head again with hand. "It'll go away in a bit. It doesn't hurt that badly."

Sora pouted his bottom lip. How did it make it so hard not to kiss him?

"You boys up?" It was Kairi's father, I assumed, unless Kairi had a _much _older brother. "We're going to take you to the doctor's then to make sure that you're all right. Can you be ready soon?"

We both nodded, and he disappeared.

"Okay, let's get going." I pulled in Sora's shoulders and snuck a chaste kiss on the cheek. Sora's face looked like he'd just gotten badly sunburned.

"R-Riku?"

"Hm?"

Red still stuck on his face, Sora grinned at me sheepishly. "I… I love you."

"I love you too."

It was incredible to wake up that morning with my new boyfriend. Especially with that adorable bed head.

* * *

_**February 3, 2012**_**  
A/N: I'm a little sad inside, because this was the last major edit chapter. Meaning that this is almost done. I'll save the chit-chat for the last chapter, but… it's almost over for real! I can hardly believe it!**


	16. The Prince Who Saved Him

_**February 3, 2012**_

**A/N: The last chapter. For old readers who noticed this in their inbox, feel free to re-read. You'll be pleasantly surprised that I decided to fix this thing up. But, if you're happy just reading the end, go for it. So more notes below:**

**This fic was stashed and forgotten for a very long time. And for that, I apologize. Everyone has assumed that it was over and satisifactory. And for the most part, it was. However, I had a few loose ends I wanted to tie up. This last chapter was started back in 2008, I believe. So it's been "in progress" for at least three years. Holy cow!**

**At first, this fic was dropped because real life started creeping into the picture, and I lost interest. I'd grown a little shameful of its writing enough to rewrite the whole thing! (**_**Sidenotes, **_**pah! Be honest, do you guys actually **_**care **_**about sidenotes? :I ) But then it turned out to be really fun. **

**Anyway, this brings us to the last part. While this chapter was wrapped up for the sake of being finished, I do hope you enjoy it. C: Because it's **_**three years old **_**it's not exactly the greatest writing, but I fixed it up a little as I went along. There may be a distinctive point where I picked it up again years later, but maybe not.**

**Here is the end, folks.**

* * *

_**Cinderfella**_

_Chapter 16—The Prince Who Saved Him_

**"So, how are they doing? What did the doctor say?"**

"They said that he was just fine. Sora's just a little sore with some bruises and cuts. He might have a minor concussion as well. Riku's fine too—he's got a bit of a black eye though."

**"That's good. I can't imagine if Sora had been seriously hurt. Well, I mean, the whole ordeal was serious, but you know what I mean."**

"Yeah." If anything _worse _had happened to Sora, he would have gone crazy. The thought ate his mind away during the short silence.

**"Listen, I already asked my parents about this: did you want to come over for Christmas for a while? You can eat dinner here and then go back to Riku's."**

Cloud hardly noticed the sign of what was to be when his heart fluttered slightly.

"Yeah, sure, that sounds great. What time?"

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prince Who Saved Him**_

* * *

"Well, it's not much, but here." Cloud handed Sora a large package. "I… was honestly doing last minute wrapping, so there's more than one present in there. Sorry…" Cloud fingered the sheets on Riku's bed, feeling a little ashamed for his gift.

"No, don't worry about it," Sora chuckled. "I don't care. You didn't even have to get me anything. Actually, I feel kind of bad, all I got you was some CDs…"

"Sora, don't worry about it; just open your stupid present."

Without any further argument, Sora peeled off the paper off the box, and then opened it to reveal its contents. There was an assortment of gifts—a few CDs, a bag of Hershey's kisses, some t-shirts folded on the bottom, a book titled _The Red in Your Eyes, _and a few packs of gum. Sora eyed the gum questionably in its random appearance, but who could turn down gum?

"Thanks, Cloud!" he said, holding the box closer to him and smiling. "You don't know how much I needed shirts that _fit_." The only shirts Sora owned were hand-me-downs from Cloud, and because Sora's build had always been smaller than Cloud's, all the shirts were slightly too large for poor Sora. "This is more than enough."

"I'm… glad." The two brothers sat in the bedroom, a sudden silence filling the space. Both wanted to say something to show their gratitude, but neither could find the proper words to express themselves.

"You think we should go out there?..." Sora asked, nodding his head towards the living room where Riku's family was celebrating around the Christmas tree. "I mean, I don't want to intrude, but…"

"You're not intruding." A voice approached the doorway, belonging to Riku. "We just finished opening presents, so we're gonna have Christmas breakfast. Besides, you two can't celebrate Christmas in my room. That's just… stupid." Riku chuckled to himself which brought a smile to Sora's face. Cloud remained impassive. "What do you say?"

Sora's lips upturned into a grateful smile. "I'm coming." He kicked his feet off the bed and balanced himself quickly. Turning on a heel, he offered his hand to his elder brother. "Cloud? How about you?"

Cloud opened his mouth to decline the offer, but before words could resound, his stomach beat him to it. The growl made it clear that the blond was hungry and ready to be fed. He remained silent, trying to find his way to worm out of having to go to the breakfast table, where _he _would be…

"I'll make sure Sephiroth doesn't get within a few feet of you," Riku assured. "You're not gonna sit in here alone, are you?"

Cloud looked like he was contemplating what to do, before nodding hesitantly and rising to his feet slowly. "If you say so."

Sora's hand, however, was still hung in the air because Cloud hadn't taken it. He shook it slightly as if to say, _"Come on, take my hand!"_

But before the blond could catch the hint, Riku snatched it and kissed the knuckles softly, one by one. "This hand's mine."

A strong blush came over Sora's face and he looked over at Cloud. Riku had neglected to mention that Cloud _knew _about their relationship, and didn't realize what he had done to make poor Sora turn such a bright shade of red.

Cloud forced a chuckle, because though he was sincerely happy for the two, the pain in that moment overwhelmed him. "Weren't we going out for breakfast?"

Sora wretched his hand out of Riku's grip and shouted in agreement, trying to force back the blood that had rushed to his face as he made a beeline for the dining room. Cloud peered over to Riku, an eyebrow slightly raised. "Sora doesn't know that I know… does he?"

"Er… no. I kinda forgot about that." Riku scratched the back of his head. "Listen, I… is there…"

Cloud gave him a bewildered look. "What are you trying to ask?"

Really, Riku didn't know himself what it was that he wanted to ask. _How much does Sora mean to you? _or _Are you mad at me? _or something like that. That look in Cloud's face when he realized that Riku and Sora were together was bothering Riku, and he wanted to know. Though he wasn't always this curious, it _did _concern Sora, and it was almost… scary to find out what the older brother was thinking.

However, it was Christmas. If the answer was a more dismal one, Riku didn't want to break the spirit of the holiday. So he let the unasked question remained unasked, and instead he broke a smile and asked, "Is there a possibility that you're going to Leon's house today?"

The expression in Riku's face was hinting that there was a special relationship between Leon and Cloud. The other blushed slightly, knowing that there _could _be… and his mind relived the few moments when Leon kissed him like _that…_

"Yeah, I'm going over there for dinner. No problem with that, right?"

Riku shook his head. "Nope. We'll just have one less place at the table tonight. But, let's have breakfast first. They're all probably wondering what's taking us so long." Riku took the lead and headed for the kitchen, Cloud shortly following behind.

The aroma of cinnamon, eggs and toast wafted into Cloud's nose as the two walked in. Riku took the empty place next to Sora on the left, while Cloud took the right. Luckily for Cloud, Sephiroth was on the exact opposite corner of the table. It was more than likely intended.

Although the group were enjoying the breakfast in the holiday's glow, Cloud couldn't help but be a little downhearted with Sora and Riku together. His eye kept darting to them, as the boys exchanged short glances.

But what made Cloud's stomach turn was when he saw Riku's hand curl itself around Sora's hand underneath the table. The younger, who blushed so little it was hardly notable unless pointed out, tightened the grip slightly to the paler hand.

Some deep of him realized that he felt alone.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prince Who Saved Him**_

* * *

"Hello, come on in," Leon's mother greeted as she opened the door. Cloud muttered a soft "Hello," under his breath, feeling completely embarrassed that this was the first time he had actually found the opportunity to meet Leon's parents. Though it really shouldn't have been a big deal… for some reason Cloud made it _feel _like a big deal.

"Just in time! Dinner is going to be ready in a few minutes. I'm Squall's father, Mr. Liore." He held out his hand to shake, and Cloud took it gingerly—until he felt his hand being whipped up and down almost violently. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice… to meet you…" the blond replied, fighting the urge to make a comment. His hair was long and dark brown, nearly like his son's hair. In fact, he looked strikingly like Leon…

"I'm actually surprised that Squall asked to have someone over for Christmas dinner. He hardly has friends over at all…"

"Squall?" Cloud blinked, confused. It was noted in the back of his mind that Mr. Liore had said _Squall _before, but it had been only been a passing word in the greeting and was implied that it was _Leon's _father. But now that Leon himself was being mentioned, it was like a faint light suddenly growing brighter in Cloud's mind.

It was Mr. Liore's turn to be puzzled. "You mean—oh. That's right, he introduces himself as Leon…"

_"Squall?" _Cloud thought. _"His first name is _Squall_? I… didn't know that…"_

"Dad!" And there was Leon, flying down the stairs in a flustered hurry. "I told you, I _hate _that name!"

"What's wrong with it?" his father said. "I think it's perfectly fine."

Leon gave a growl and shook his head angrily. "Just… just forget it. He knows now."

"What's wrong with the name Squall?" Cloud asked, but it seemed like no one had regarded the fact that he had, in fact, seriously asked the question.

"Dinner!" Mrs. Liore called, beckoning the boys in with a wave of her hand.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prince Who Saved Him**_

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me Leonhart was your middle name?"

"Didn't seem relevant," Leon muttered, palpably upset that Cloud had found out his actual first name.

"Squall Leonhart Liore… It has a nice ring to it."

"No it doesn't!" Leon took a hold of a piece of paper that had been lying on the tabletop and quickly pressed it into a ball. He kept smashing it in until the corners became sharp enough to bite his palms.

Cloud had never seen Leon lose his temper this badly. He had seen him lose his cool a little, like the time Leon just grabbed him and started to kiss him—

He stopped that thought right there, immediately afraid that his face would flush in response.

"But, I don't get it…" Cloud said quietly, trying to figure out why something so trivial would make Leon so livid. "What makes you so mad about it? What's in a name? For God's sake, my name is a thing in the freakin' _sky._"

"But the sky is something beautiful," Leon replied quietly, his anger quickly cooling into a sudden calm. "And it describes you. But Squall?... it's so stupid."

"No, storms are beautiful in their own way." Cloud did his best to hide his face from Leon as he started to feel his cheeks heat. "I mean, I like them."

_Ugh, he's gonna think I'm an idiot!_

When Cloud glanced up from the bed, he saw that Leon was staring at him blankly. Just what was he thinking? Was Cloud sending him mixed messages? He couldn't stop thinking about that kiss, but something was holding him back. He was too nervous. What would happen if he _let _something happen?

Leon could see the hesitation in Cloud's face.

_It's okay. But I wish that if he would want to move forward, he'd come to a decision about it…_

Cloud closed his eyes and let the world around him melt into haze. Before he knew it, he was falling asleep.

However, Leon didn't know that Cloud was actually drifting off until Cloud started to lean forward into a fall. He caught the sleeping boy in his arms awkwardly, and moved him to lie on the bed. His face was soft and oblivious that time was still moving forward.

_I know Riku was expecting him, but I'd like to watch him sleep. Just for a little while._

Leon kissed his cheek and then touched it softly with the pad of his thumb. "I love you, Cloud."

"I love you too…"

Leon felt like he had a lump in his throat. Did he say what he thought he said?...

Cloud rolled over towards Leon in his sleep, grabbing a fistful of sheets. Leon realized that Cloud was most definitely asleep, and though was responding to Leon, it could have meant anything in the world of dreams.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prince Who Saved Him**_

* * *

Sora and Riku were sitting side by side on the older's bed. Both dressed in Riku's clothing (which fit a little too large on Sora, but he didn't mind,) they were about ready for bed. The parents suspected absolutely nothing, as Riku had informed them that Sora was going to sleep in his room and they were sharing the bed.

There _were _some benefits to same sex relationships, Riku learned…

Sora had his hands clasped loosely in his lap, and settled on staring at them. Riku knew that stare—it was the same one after their date at the amusement park. It was a gentle coyness that he had about him when it came to those situations. Sitting alone in silence, absorbing each other's intensities—Riku wanted to know how it made Sora's heart feel.

Because in Riku's heart, it was like he was flying without ever leaving the ground.

"Hey…" Riku touched his hand to Sora's, who looked at him with a slight tinge of surprise tracing his face.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

The older smiled, and stared straight into those blue eyes. "I…" He wanted to say something dramatic, something with _meaning. _Something you heard in the movies—a long, romantic line—maybe a metaphor. But the only thing he really could think to say was the most cliché line of them all. "I love you, Sora."

"I… love you too, Riku." The younger was pulled in for a kiss, and without moving, they stayed there, taking in the moment as if time were suddenly stopping.

With the release, the air intake was audible. The boys looked at each other and compulsively, their smiles widened ever so slightly. The silence was more powerful than words could ever say.

Riku lunged in for another kiss, pressing hard against Sora's lips—who pushed just as hard back. Sora felt numb to the world around him—including the stinging in his cheeks from the fight—and everything in him was focused on that one person in front of his eyes.

Sora was the first to pull away, but his lips were still barely touching Riku's. The older boy proceeded to lean back and put his hands on Sora's small shoulders. A smile lined his lips as he stared at his boyfriend.

"What do you see in me?" Sora asked. "There's nothing special about me. I'm…"

Riku cut off Sora's sentence with an answer. "The question you _should _be asking is: what _don't _I see in you?" Riku's eyes darted away to the floor as he struggled to collect the myriad of thoughts swimming in his head. "And… well, there isn't anything I don't see."

Riku reached to trace his finger along Sora's cheekbone, but as soon as his finger graced skin, Sora twitched and pulled away. "What's wrong?" Riku asked, suddenly afraid that Sora had grown too shy.

"My cheek still hurts…" He looked away in shame, covering the sore spot with the palm of his hand.

"I'm sorry…" Riku's fingers trailed down Sora's hairline. At least it wasn't what Riku thought it had been.

"It's okay. I don't mind. It just stings, is all…" His lips puckered and were pulled off to the side of Sora's face, as if Sora were in thought.

Riku drew the brunet in, limbs and all into a warm embrace. "You sure you're okay? I wasn't too hard on you, with the bruises and all?"

"Nope." Sora's scrunched lips spread out into a full smile. It made the cut throb with the pull of skin and muscles, but ignored it. "You act as if nothing happened to you." He pointed to the black eye.

"I can take it. It's not that bad." Riku's mouth broke out into a small grin. "It was all for you, and I would never take it back."

Sora's smile became fuller if it were possible. In reply, he buried himself in the entanglement of Riku's arms. Riku combed the brown spikes between his fingers, as he whispered, "Merry Christmas, Sora."

Muffled from within his arms, Riku heard the reply, "Merry Christmas, Riku."

Riku wrapped his arms a little closer around Sora, who snuggled in closer in response.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prince Who Saved Him**_

* * *

"Where's Cloud?" Sora bolted straight up in bed the next morning. Riku, who had curled his arms around the boy, was shocked in a state of (somewhat) awareness.

"Eh? Whaddaya mean?" Riku grabbed a fistful of sheets and rolled over for more sleep.

"He was supposed to wake me up when he got back! Oh my god! What if something happened to him?"

"I'm sure he's fine. He _was _with Leon, you know."

"…what does that mean?" Sora looked back at Riku, but only saw a head full of silver and a bundle of blue.

"What, not obvious?..."

"What does _that _mean?"

A chuckle made its way from the sheets. "He probably stayed over at Leon's house. I wouldn't worry too much about Cloud."

"…I don't get it. What's not obvious?"

"They're good friends." Well, _more _than good friends, it seemed. At least in one of their eyes. Riku knew what infatuation looked like. "Maybe they caught up in something and fell asleep."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." Riku gave up. Sora wasn't going to catch on until he saw them making out. Now that was a weird thought…

Sora scratched his scalp slightly. "Should we just wait for him to get back then?"

"Yeee-up. In the mean time, let's go back to sleep." The older boy shifted in the bed to get comfortable, but Sora wouldn't have it.

"What? It's 9:30 in the morning!" Sora's hand shook Riku in an attempt to wake him up. Riku however, did not like this.

"Yeah, too early."

"9:30 _is _sleeping in, silly!" Riku rolled over to glare at Sora, but as he saw Sora's smiling face, the reason dawned upon him.

Ansem probably had Sora up early all the time. Sora hadn't been given even the normality of sleeping in until one o' clock like many teenagers their age did. His heart gave in, and he rose from the bed. A cheer escaped Sora's lips.

"Okay early bird, what do you want to do?" Riku rubbed the back of his head as he walked towards the dresser.

"Um… I don't know," Sora replied. His gaze landed on the window. For some reason, the blinds looked _really _bright, especially for this hour…

Riku spun his head around when he heard the thumping footsteps of Sora running to the window. "Snow!" he shouted as he tugged the blinds open. "Riku, look! It's snowing outside!"

It was amazing how Sora could be so excited over the cold, white outdoors. Snow reminded Riku about that night when he was standing outside in the cold with Sora, waiting to find shelter after his first (and final) meeting with Sora's father.

Well, the man who took him in, anyway.

When Riku paused to think about it, he wanted to know about Sora's _real _parents. All he knew was that there had been some accident, which is how he wound up at Ansem's.

But was it okay to ask? Was it too soon? Sora was obviously sensitive to the situation, but Riku's curiousity was itching. Was it worth asking though? Why bring the happy mood to a dismal one before the day had even begun?

"Riku…" Sora's shining eyes slanted. Not a good sign. "I don't think I'll be able to stay here with you."

Sora must have been thinking about the same thing. "Why do you say that?"

"I don't know if you can just stay wherever you want when your father fails you. I don't think it works that way."

Riku paused. "Everything will work out. There's no use worrying about it."

Sora bit his lip as he looked into Riku's eyes. Suddenly, he saw his father's green eyes in Riku's. Closed caskets. Drunk driver, shattered bottles of booze, face meeting carpet. Bruises, cleaning, lies, emptiness, loneliness… parentless… Suddenly, Sora couldn't breathe; the world was turning white. He could feel his heartbeat in his throat.

"Sora! Sora!" Riku was now gripping Sora's shoulders. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

In those few moments, the haze cleared. Tears instantly rushed down Sora's slightly swollen cheeks. Riku looked legitimately scared.

"You okay? What's the matter?"

"Panic attack," Sora exhaled. He fell into Riku's arms, who faltered slightly when he almost didn't catch both of their weights.

"Panic attack?..." Where did _that _sound familiar?

That's right. It was the day that Sora was sick at school, when he got hit in the head by a volleyball. However, this wasn't surprising: if Riku was Sora, he may have _died _from the stress that Sora must have been going through.

"Why don't you sit down?"

"No, no… I'm okay…" Sora clasped his boyfriend's shoulders with his hands to support his own weight. "It's gone. I don't feel anything anymore."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay, then let's go outside." Sora looked up Riku, who had a small smile on his lips. Riku would do anything to take Sora's pain away; anything to distract him. At least until Sora was ready. "You like the snow, don't you?"

Sora's mood made a sudden turn for the better. A grin the size of the ocean plastered his face. "Yeah!"

Mission accomplished. But only for now.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prince Who Saved Him**_

* * *

Outside in the snow, Riku watched as Sora bumbled through the snow in his own clothes. Everything from the orange hooded jacket to the black sweatpants were all oversized on him. The sweatpants were tied as tightly as possible around Sora's skinny waist, but still needed constantly to be pulled up. Sora donned his own sneakers, because there was no way he would have made it in Riku's big boots.

Riku, on the other hand, fit comfortably in his usual snow gear. Perhaps it was because he just didn't care and wore several layers of shirts under his jacket, a pair of jeans, and snow boots. Not exactly fitting for winter weather, but it would keep him warm enough.

Sora had rolled a ball of snow some distance away. Riku didn't have to guess what flew past his face a few seconds later.

"Hey!" Riku _really _wanted to retaliate, but he knew that the doctor had said to take it easy with Sora because of the concussion he'd incurred recently. Sora, totally oblivious to that instruction, was readying another snowball. "Don't you dare throw another snowball at me! I don't want to give you another concussion, so you're fighting an unfair battle!"

Sora halted for a moment, and then stared at the snow he'd gather in his hands. And just like that, he'd let it fall away and plop onto the ground. But Riku knew that Sora's mood had quickly overturned—because his smirk turned into a frown in a matter of moments. "I'm such an idiot…"

"Don't take it so hard." Riku shuffled his way through the snow, sensing Sora's declining mood. "It's something that anyone could easily forget about. I'm just worried about it."

"But I don't deserve it." Sora dropped on the snow-covered ground, some of the snow gathering around his waist. "I'm just a pain and…"

Riku fell in the snow next to Sora and wrapped his arms around him. "You deserve it, and before you even say it, you're _totally _worth it." And Riku would repeat it for forever until Sora believed it.

* * *

_**Cinderfella – The Prince Who Saved Him**_

* * *

Leaving the courthouse was a melancholy time for everyone. Although Ansem was sent to jail without much doubt, the whole situation left the air stale and heavy. Sora found himself dragging his feet to Cloud's car.

Riku walked alongside his boyfriend with his hand held in his own. He wished that he could make the pain go away, but he knew that no matter how hard he loved Sora, he couldn't heal those wounds. They would heal with time, and new memories together would wash away some of the worst ones. But their freshness was holding Sora—Sora, who although could smile and laugh, doubted himself and his whole world.

But Riku would see to it that Sora would begin to believe in himself. Definitely not today, probably not tomorrow. But maybe next month, and the one after that, and then after a year… well, he would make it happen.

As they approached the car, they saw that Leon had been waiting for their arrival. Riku just had that gut feeling that it was time to give the two alone time. "We're gonna go for ice cream," Riku offered, dragging a confused Sora alongside him. "I'll text you when we're done."

Before Cloud could command them to come back, Riku turned on his heel to turn in an opposing direction. "See ya!"

"Wait, why are we going—"

"I'll explain on the way…"

When they were out of earshot, Leon was the first to speak. "So, how did it go?"

Cloud's face broke into a small smile. "I have full custody of Sora now. So Riku's parents are letting us stay with them until I've found a job and enough money to move out with him." His eyes strayed to the ground, away from Leon's piercing stare. He didn't look up until he saw Leon shuffle a little.

The next thing Cloud knew, he was being offered something from Leon. "I know it's a little late, but I finally got your Christmas present."

"What? You didn't have to—"

"I know."

They stared at each other for a moment, until Cloud dared to ask, "So what… is it?"

"Two tickets to your favorite band," Leon explained, "Hang Me on Tuesday."

"What?Hang me on Tuesday? How did you even get those?"

"Well, _that's _why it took so long for me to get these for you," Leon said with a roll of the eyes. He obviously went through a great ordeal to acquire them. "But that's not important. You can have these… on one condition."

"A condition?" Cloud jested. "Gifts don't come with _conditions_! That's like the… opposite definition!"

"The condition can be considered your gift in return then," Leon said. "All you have to do is just accept this as a date. As in, let me take you for dinner, then to the concert, and maybe somewhere romantic afterward. That's all I ask."

_That's __**all?**_ Cloud thought, _That's an awful lot to ask for!_

But then as Cloud pondered over the thought, was it that much to ask for? All Leon wanted was a chance… the chance that Cloud had been hesitating to take without thinking about it. It was time to make a decision, it seemed.

And with a smile, Cloud took the tickets in his hands. "Fine. A date it is then."

_ The end._


End file.
